One Night
by Victoria G
Summary: Minako makes a rather bold statement over dinner.
1. One Night

ONE NIGHT I

REI'S POV

THE RESTUARANT:

"You should let me make love to you." A conversation which to this point had fallen completely within the range of normal, took a sudden, sharp left turn.

"Excuse me?" My hand stopped working midair and my brain shut off.

"I think you should let me make love to you." She clarified as though the statement would make more sense if repeated. My mind was blown, thoughts were impossible.

"… do you have any idea what you're saying right now?"

Minako swirled her drink around, looking exaggeratedly pensive. "I have a fairly good start… the rest I'm sure would …come." She was speaking almost academically on the subject, but that little smirk...there was no mistaking her meaning. I decided not to finish my drink.

"You couldn't possibly think that's a good idea."

"I do." She raised her eyebrow, looking at me.

"Then you haven't thought it through."

"I have." Minako shrugged playfully, like she was amused by my reaction.

Suddenly I remembered there were people quietly enjoying their meals on all sides of us, so I whispered. "You can't be serious."

"I am." I couldn't read her expression beneath the disguise she wore.

"We can't just sleep together!"

"Technically we could..."

I understood that, was picturing it, needed to stop doing that actually. "I know that! But I mean we… shouldn't I guess. It's just… crazy."

"Why is it crazy?"

"WHAT?" Minako quickly looked down at the table, a grin escaping as she noticed several other patrons turning to see what the commotion was.

"Listen, I'm not going to force myself on you. It was just a suggestion." Force herself on me? Have sex with me? Minako and I… with each other, what in the world would make her think about the two of us, like that?

"I don't even know what to say to you right now." I didn't, not even the slightest idea.

"You don't have to say anything… it was just a thought…if you don't want to…"

"That's not what I said!" I was flabbergasted by my own emphatic correction.

"Oh?"

"I mean, not that I DO want to, this is completely… can we just go?" I haven't been this embarrassed since I was a child.

"Of course."

THE CAR:

I watched her slip off the dark brown wig and glasses she had used to hide her appearance. It was about as surreal as watching one of Minako's music videos, a feeling that I knew her without knowing her. The fact that she looked like herself again for some reason made me feel better. I allowed myself the indulgence of believing that maybe everything up until this point was some sort of delusion and not a whirlwind of absolute absurdity. She drove silently, a tiny furrow between her brows as she turned left toward the shrine. It was a plain rental car, nothing fancy, nothing to attract attention, but I felt myself sink deep into my seat, feeling as though the whole world was staring at us. Minako for her part was still acting as though nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Honestly, it was infuriating.

"Generally people don't share those sorts of thoughts you know!" I could feel the irritation seeping into my words.

"Well I guess that's why people generally don't get what they want." Again she couldn't resist the tease, even allowed herself a smirk at my expense.

I still just couldn't wrap my head around all of it. "This can't be happening."

"No?"

"You just told me you think we should...I mean I should, or I guess you should…you know what I'm trying to say!" I hated how my voice was so like a hiss. It couldn't be helped though, this was insanity, Minako was insane, or I was insane, or both of us were.

"Because I do think that."

I was almost afraid to talk. "…did you mean now?"

"What like here in the car?"

"No no no… like now as in tonight now, not here now."

"Yes I did."

"So to clarify..."

"Okay…" She flashed me a quick look to show she was paying attention. Kami, her eyes were way too blue. It was more distressing than helpful.

I swallowed, my mouth suddenly dry. "You were suggesting that after we left, I come back to your place and we…have sex?"

She looked at me for a beat and then corrected. "Not quite, but close enough."

I was confused. "What am I wrong about?"

"I asked you if you would let me make love to you… I think I phrased it a bit more poetically… " This was madness.

"Poetically?" I threw up my hands, exasperated. "I don't understand."

"It sounds like you do." She was playing with me.

"I can't even imagine what in the world made you consider such a thing…"

"I think most people who meet you consider it."

"And why is that?" As soon as the question left my mouth, I was sure that pursuing this line of questioning was a mistake.

"You're very beautiful Rei….sexy, really. A woman like you deserves a night of undivided attention from someone who cares for you." Um….

"Um…" Um… I've been hit on before, I… my ears were burning, which just added to my embarrassment.

"Just an observation."

"What's gotten into you? I think all the fame has made you delirious."

"Could be my wig was too tight."

"Was that a joke? This isn't funny, if you're trying to embarrass me or something…"

"No, I wasn't. I was simply being honest. Why don't I drop you off at home? " I felt a tiny bit of panic start to overtake me.

"Wait." I spoke. I hadn't mean to… I was not in control of myself.

"Hmm?"

"You don't have to take me home yet." What was I saying? What was I doing?

She nodded and drove back in the direction of her apartment. Excitement and nervousness braided themselves like rope around my stomach. I felt like throwing up, crying, and running all at the same time.

THE CONDO:

I followed her silently through the back entrance of the rather lavish condo complex she was renting in. We didn't speak at all the whole elevator ride up, but she had the most annoying smirk on her face. She was smoothing out her clothes and I found myself imagining, to my own embarrassment, her hands on my skirt instead. Damn her for bringing this up. I was looking at her legs, appreciatively for that matter, as she opened the door. I would have been happy to just have a few drinks, a nice dinner with a close friend, but I should have known. Nothing goes according to plan where Aino Minako is concerned. She always has to find some way to shake me up. I knew for a fact I wouldn't be the first woman she had been with, but we were friends, it was different. I had certainly never been approached in such a … direct way… and never by a woman.

"Are you hungry?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Do you want some food? We didn't really get to order much at the restaurant…"

"Um… no…well… maybe."

She was laughing at me again, eying me by way of the mirror she was using to take off her earrings. Kicking off her shoes, she padded over to me, her eyes almost level with my mouth as she came up close. I thought for a moment she would kiss me, but instead her eyes fell to the floor.

"Kami, how high are those heels Rei-chan?"

Rolling my eyes I stepped out of them, instantly shrinking to my normal height.

"That's much better." She said around a smile, side stepping me to get to the table by the door. "I don't know how you get around in shoes like that." I looked at my heels on the floor and then at hers, noticing that mine were easily an inch higher. "I love your skirt by the way…" She commented, winking at me as she snatched menus from the drawer. I glared at her.

"What do you want to eat?" She brought a few menus over to the couch and patted the space next to her, tucking her legs under her. I sat down reluctantly, still unsure of this entire thing, of this unknown creature who had taken over my friend.

"I don't know…Mina I…"

"Hmmm" She didn't even look up. She was positively evil sometimes. "Maybe something light…"

"Maybe something alcoholic…"

She looked at me seriously. "I don't think that's such a good idea."

"What? Why not?"

"I don't want you to do anything you wouldn't normally do."

I was mildly offended by the insinuation that I wouldn't be able to control myself. "You think I'd just whip my clothes off and let you have your way with me as soon as the drink hit?"

Her eyes sparkled with laughter "I didn't picture that exact scenario, no."

"What did you picture Mina?" It was out of my mouth before I could even stop it, my voice strangely deep. God this was not a good idea. I did get a small amount of satisfaction from the shocked look on her face though.

"I just thought you'd like something to eat is all." She cleared her throat and adjusted her position on the sofa. Well if she was going to spend all night confounding my senses it only seemed fair I return the favor.

As the initial impossibility of the situation began to fade, I started thinking over everything, wondering why she would have brought it up in the first place. I tried to remember our conversation before she dropped that bomb on me. Suddenly it came back to me and I found myself a little angry. She seemed to immediately sense the shift in my mood.

"Rei-chan?" her hand came to rest on my leg, eyes questioning.

"Is this because of my break up?" It had been four months ago, but we hadn't seen each other for a while. I was over it already, actually was over it before we ended it.

"Well I wouldn't have suggested it otherwise…" I felt my lips tighten.

"I don't need your pity Minako."

"You think I want to be with you because I feel sorry for you?"

"Isn't that what you just said?" I flinched away from her.

"Not even close. I only meant I wouldn't have said anything if you were still with him, out of respect" I could tell by her voice that I had hurt her feelings. I had a tendency to do that. Ire bred harshness in me. I often wished I could control it better.

"I'm sorry, I'm just trying to figure this out."

"What's to figure out?" Everything! I felt like smacking her. This was not your everyday idle chitchat between friends. "From what you were saying it sounded like this guy didn't appreciate you anyway, it annoyed me, you deserve better than that." This felt more like a normal conversation and I was beginning to relax a bit. I folded both of my hands in my lap. "I don't like to see you upset." It was clear to me she had misinterpreted my guilt as sadness.

"I'm not who you think I am Mina."

She looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"

"Girls always say that to each other… that they deserve better… maybe he deserves better… maybe he deserves someone who has time for him, or really listens to him…I'm not some wonderful girl who just can't find a guy who gets her… I'm difficult, I'm picky, I'm irritable, I'm not easy to be with…"

She nodded a bit as I ticked off my negatives and I resisted the slap her leg. "No one is… but you're also intelligent, driven, confident, and passionate…" I stared at her, worrying my nail beds as I considered what she said… I didn't feel particularly confident at the moment. "Everyone has faults…"

"I guess." I hated to talk about these things because it made me seem arrogant, but the truth was men flocked to me. Good looking, smart, sometimes even funny men and every once in awhile I would say yes. Not because I wanted to, but more because it was nice sometimes, comforting to feel… wanted. I couldn't remember the last man I had chased, the last one who captured my attention first, who I would have chosen had he not chosen me. Sleeping with them was a whole other problem, I was nearly impossible to please that way and only one or two had been able to even wrench some real need from me. I felt deficient in that way, broken almost. "He deserves someone who knows what they want… they all do."

"You don't know what you want?" She was watching me closely, all the flirtatiousness drained from her.

"I'm not like you." I said it before I thought it, a theme for the night apparently.

"Rei, I hope you understand I don't expect anything tonight. You coming here doesn't mean…"

I didn't say anything for a while, but something had been tugging at the back of my mind. "Why would you say make love?"

She seemed startled by the question and blushed. "You mean instead of using the word sex?"

And now I was blushing too… "Yes…"

"Because that's what I want… I … care very deeply about you… I could never touch you without that coming across."

"Oh." I didn't think it was possible to blush as hard as I was. Her voice sounded strange, nervous, like a whisper at the end, but I couldn't look at her, not being as embarrassed as I was. I felt her get up and go to the phone.

I didn't understand why I was here. Why wouldn't I just go home? Was it possible that I wanted this? Wanted her to touch me? I couldn't say that my initial reaction was adverse...just shocked really. I was nervous that this would be a repeat of the same thing… that I would be with her because she wanted to be with me. I would be a disappointment for her in the end, because there was always that lingering possibility that as usual I wouldn't be that into it. I knew I didn't want that for Minako.

Bravely I lifted my eyes to watch her as she shifted slightly, a long finger poking at the fabric of the couch as she spoke soft and friendly to whoever it was she was paying to pick up our food. She was beautiful, that went without saying. She kept in shape and took care of her self, skin and hair and make-up… all part of the job I supposed. I wanted her to be with someone who could appreciate every aspect of her, who would treat her with the devotion she deserved. Someone who would touch her the way she wanted to touch me… kiss every inch of her skin...make her feel what I hadn't been able to in years…

"Twenty minutes." She commented shaking me out of my thoughts. I felt her weight depressing the couch cushion again.

"Hmm?" I coughed, again finding myself blushing. Kami, I was practically fantasizing about her.

"The food… it'll be here in twenty minutes."

"Oh. Good."

"Hungry?"

"Yes…" I answered quickly.

THE ROOF:

"This is good actually…" I commented.

"Did you expect it not to be?" Again the raised eyebrow.

"No…why?"

"I don't know, the 'actually'… it sounds like you're surprised its good."

"I didn't realize I had said it. I just meant I was glad it was something light." I wondered if I used that word a lot.

"I never liked heavy dinners." She commented lightly, grasping another spicy ahi maki in her chopsticks. She always liked those. "This is perfect." I watched her smile as she chewed the roll. "Besides…you like sushi."

She was good with that, paying attention to the things people liked or didn't like, even when it was just an offhand comment. It was what made her an excellent gift giver. I remembered the jacket she sent for birthday a month back. It was exactly what I what I would have bought myself if I had forced myself to go shopping. The post-mark was from California.

"How long was the world tour?"

"Almost a year."

Part of me felt jealous that she lead such an exciting life, the other could see the weariness in her face and worried for her. "Was it any fun?"

She placed her chopsticks down, and rested back against the couch closing her eyes. Those eyelashes were so long. "Sometimes… seeing the fans is always great. All those people who came for you, who you can make smile just by saying hello, who just love you because the music you make speaks to them…" She must understand that feeling pretty well, having spent so much of her own time idol chasing. Her eyes were always clear and sparkling when talked about her fans, as if she loved them as much as they loved her. "The travel though… and being alone…"

"I would have thought you were never alone." I would think there would be entourages and agents and managers all the time…

"It's business… they aren't my friends. Well, maybe one or two of them, but mostly its business." She always sounded tired when we spoke while she was on tour, tired and something else, not the Minako I was with now. "You know I miss you… all of you. It's nice to be home. " I missed her too.

For the first time since I arrived I allowed myself to look around. The décor was western style and contemporary but not outlandish… still functional and comfortable. It looked like it came right out of a magazine. "Minako this is a beautiful."

"Arigato Rei-chan… I thought it was a little cold actually, but I shopped around for quite awhile." Her eyes light up and she seemed to remember something. "I chose this one for one reason…c'mon." She grabbed my hand and pulled me up. I followed her to the corner of the room where a small staircase, hidden by a half wall spiraled up. Carefully I climbed behind her up onto a rooftop deck. An overhang covered a small couch with no arms and fresh Casablanca lilies stood in towering vases. I looked at the flowers and then at her, but she just smiled and shrugged. She pressed a button on the wall and a small fire pit began burning away, fluttering in the breeze, hissing softly as the gas passed through the pipes below. A few small recessed lights, tinted a gentle blue, came on in the floor and I looked out from the building, seeing the incredible view of the city, the Tokyo tower glowing orange in the distance. I would bet that we were facing the right direction to see Mount Fuji in the daytime.

"This is amazing…"

"I haven't taken anyone else up here." She commented, again in the strange, nervous, whispery tone.

"Not home enough?"

"I haven't wanted to…"

"Oh." Was this some sort of love nest? It looked unassuming enough, romantic yes, but only in its seclusion and uniqueness. It seemed designed to make you feel like it you had your privacy while still living in the middle of the city.

"I feel like it's just me even though I'm in the middle of the city."

I laughed a bit. "I was just thinking that."

"I knew you'd understand." She kept speaking to me without looking at me. As she went to turn around I realized she was going to go back inside. The night was mild and clear and I saw no reason not to enjoy this for a bit.

"We don't have to go back in."

"You want to stay out here?"

"Sure, for awhile."

"You don't mind the noise?"

Of course she would remember that I didn't like the shuffle in the city. "It's not too bad."

"Okay. We'll stay out here."

THE COUCH:

"I wish we could see more stars…" She looked like a child, laying on her back on the couch cushion, feet draped over the side, planted on the ground and bare. I was sitting a few inches from her head, legs stretched and enjoying the warmth from the fire pit on my toes.

I looked out into the inky blackness, following it down to where the haze of neon and fluorescent light threw shocks of pinks and greens into the dark. I had mixed emotions about the bigger cities. Sometimes when I looked at them they were so impressive, like a giant piece of art and at other times, especially in airplanes, they were ugliest things I had ever seen.

She tilted her neck back at what looked to be an uncomfortable angle, her head resting on the cushion, and smiled at me. Her perfect teeth and shiny full lips reflected the light of the flames and I couldn't help but smile back.

"You look ridiculous. You need a pillow." I shook my head at her.

"Are you offering?" She eyed my lap and I rolled my eyes. The ogling was even more absurd with her face upside down.

"If you insist on laying like that you might as well." I swallowed, relieved I had managed to keep my voice neutral, detached even.

She gave a look that was indecipherable, but was something like distrust. She was so strange sometimes. I watched the flickering sea of neon and thought. I was so comfortable out here with her, I never was lost, never had to think about what I would do or say. The more I thought about it, the more I realized our friendship had always been different. I had believed it was our senshi powers… now I wasn't sure. We connected on a level that I didn't with most people. She was one of my closest friends, but this? I had thought about sex with another woman before, but only in passing and never with me as one of the participants. Only when I met two women who were together or I heard people whispering. I never had a reaction to it though, never felt attraction or repulsion to it and so my response to all this was surprising me. In all honesty, I never thought about sex of any kind much. Now I couldn't seem to get the idea out of my head. Some silly voice inside me still insisted that I ask her about it.

"You've been with girls before…" It was meant as a question, but it came out as a statement.

"Yes." She answered simply.

"And you…"

"What… enjoyed it?" She smirked at me. "Yes. I did."

"More than with a man?" I had wondered before if she was leaning that way. She never had relationships, but it seemed more and more of her occasional flings were with women. I had never understood girls who couldn't understand what two women would do together. It was fairly obvious, there were only so many options.

"It's just different. You can't compare the two." She was never shy about talking these types of things. I was much more reserved about it. Not that that was unusual for us. She was a talker, I wasn't really… more of an internalize and let it fester type. I was surprised I was talking this much actually.

"Different…"

"Girls touch differently, sound different, smell different, feel different…. It's just different." I stared back out at the sky. Given most of my experiences with men thus far, different seemed like a good idea. But trying this with Mina… it was her idea and I knew I'd be safe, that she would never take advantage of me, but she was my friend. Maybe that wasn't a bad thing… maybe it was. I let myself imagine touching her body, kissing her and I felt my skin warm.

"Rei, what are you thinking about?" I glanced down at her.

"You've considered it before… with me I mean" Why did I ask that… it sounded so pathetic said out loud, like I was searching for something.

"Yes. I have." Minako had relaxed back down and was watching the sky as if stargazing, but I could see that her cheeks were pink.

I was embarrassed too. I silently admitted to myself that I was interested in her proposition from earlier, at least I had worked out that much. I had my concerns, but I knew I would never be able to be with her that way and have it be meaningless either. I wondered if that meant this was a bad idea or if it meant something else.

"So what if I said yes…" Again before I could think it through, I spoke. I wanted slap myself.

Her blue eyes widened… she slowly sat up. Minako rested on her bent knees, facing sideways on the couch and looked over at me.

"What?"

I did the same, pulling my legs up underneath me. I chanced a look in her direction, hoping the dim light would hide the evidence of my nervousness. I had never blushed this much. "What if I wanted you to…"

"Rei…" She seemed concerned, almost frightened now… all the bravado from before long gone. For a minute I wondered if she had only ever been trying to get one over on me. I tried to control my reaction, tried not to feel lied to and made a fool of until I understood where she was going with this.

"What if I said yes?" I repeated it, trying to get an answer.

I watched as she reached over and touched my cheek with her knuckles. I turned my head and eyes toward her. I could feel my mouth starting to say something without my permission again when her lips stopped me. They were so soft, not gentle, but incredibly soft and I felt myself sigh into her mouth. My hand reached up to rest on her neck beneath her ear. She was an incredibly good kisser and I felt my body respond in ways it hadn't responded to anyone in a long time. She bit my bottom lip just enough to pull it and then suddenly she was gone. I stared down at the stitching in the leather beneath me, catching my breath.

"That's what." She whispered it. I noticed her fingertips trembling slightly as she ran them through her hair. I found my fingers wanting to know what that felt like. Her answer ran through my head in circles. If I said yes, that's what. God, the things I was feeling. It had been a while since a kiss had caused anything even close to this in me.

She gave me a questioning look from under her long, sculpted bangs, her head bent down, her pink lips just a bit puffier. I realized I hadn't spoken yet, hadn't reacted to her pulling away.

"Then…yes." She didn't understand for a second, but then I saw the realization come to her, then a smile I had never seen on her before. She was kissing me again, hand on my waist, her chest close enough to mine that I could feel the warmth of her skin and I was sinking into the couch. Without understanding how, I was on my back, her body balanced above mine. My head fell backward off the edge with no armrest to stop it, baring all of my neck to her mouth, her lips, her tongue. Her hand cradled my face and mine was tangled in her hair. She followed the lines of my neck slowly, gently, deliberately and I moaned from deep in the back of my throat shocked by how intense these feelings were.

After my entire body had liquefied, she scooted me back so my head was supported and let her eyes roam over me. I felt her gaze like a touch, goose bumps rising on my neck and warmth starting in my feet. "Rei… I want you so much." She whispered and I was surprised to hear her voice. I felt my jaw and eyelids clench. No one had spoken to me during this kind of thing before. I found her voice so close, just a bit deeper than before, had an interesting affect on me. I was too dizzy from the hum of my own skin to be outside with all these lights… I needed a white ceiling, a plain wall… something.

"Let's go inside." I didn't argue.

THE BEDROOM:

She had dimmed the lights to a soft glow and we silently made our way over to the mattress. It was, of course, incredibly comfortable and I sighed as I sunk in a bit. Minako sat next to me, slowly took my hand in hers, and kissed the center of my palm. It was unexpected and sweet. I met her eyes, darker now, as she trailed gentle kisses down my wrist. Between each kiss, her breath warmed my skin and my mind quieted as it does when your one of your senses is completely saturated. There was something in her gaze that I didn't understand, something that left a half formed question on the tip of my tongue. Too much thinking. Her hair brushed the side of my face as she nipped at my collarbone and another one of those moans came tumbling out of me. She 'hmmed' quietly in response, clearly pleased with the sound. Then she was at my neck again, my ear and I felt my whole body contract in response.

"Mina…" It was a whisper and I wasn't entirely sure if it was meant to stop her or urge her to continue. My hand was in her hair, combing it to the side where it fell down like fabric, shutting us off from the window on our left. I used that hand to bring her back to me, wanting to feel her lips on mine again. I gasped into her mouth as her hands traveled beneath my shirt, breaking the kiss to suck in a breath. Then the blouse was lifted with agonizing control over my body, her fingertips leaving twin paths of tingling warmth up my ribs and along my arms. The cool silk was like a sheet of water as it fell away.

I hated to be half dressed, it made me feel self-conscious, so I lifted myself enough that I could slip my skirt off. I felt nervous laying in my bra and what I now remembered was a thong because of the tightness of that particular skirt. I was concerned that she might not enjoy the sight of me like this…had a ridiculous moment where I considered whether or not she would appreciate the style of the underwear I was wearing…. a worry I had never felt with a man. Her eyes immediately eased this fear though. Her expression as she followed the lines of my body was almost worshipful. Then her hands were back on me, nails running up the outside of my thigh, along the curve of my hip… a sensation which caused my toes to curl and then there was her breath against my chest. God, I needed to lay back and she followed me with her mouth. She nuzzled against the skin of my breast where it was exposed above my bra and then bit at me through the fabric.

I groaned, my eyelids fluttering a bit. The thumb of her left hand was grazing the skin above my other breast while her palm massaged me. Another moan tore from my throat as I felt her teeth again and my back arched, my body trying to force more contact. Her hand reached behind me, up my spine and then she was sliding the straps of my bra down my arms. I was intensely aware of the air hitting my chest and could feel my nipples tightening before her mouth ever found them. It seemed impossible when I looked down into her eyes, eyes that I knew so well… that it was Mina bringing me this kind of pleasure, that it was her tongue flicking me, her smile around my skin. I held her to me, enamored with the softness of her hair dragging across my sides. Each time I felt the pull of her mouth, it seemed to tug a string that ran directly from my breasts to a place I was beginning to become more and more aware of. She kissed her way to my other breast, devoting equal attention to both and driving me equally as crazy. The white of the walls wasn't enough to ground me anymore. I found myself wanting to feel her body against mine, wanting her clothes gone, needing the warm anchoring heaviness of her on top of me. God it was so hard to think, to do anything really, when she was doing what she was…

"Mina…" I watched as my nipple popped from between her lips and felt my leg muscles quiver in response. "I want…" I sounded as if I had smoked an entire pack of cigarettes. I took a breath.

"Tell me what you need…" Her voice was doing insane things to my insides.

"I want to feel you against me." I wasn't sure I could be much more articulate than that and I found myself hoping she would understand what I meant.

Her eyes darkened again and that something I didn't understand was back. She kissed my breastbone and then stood up, looking at me sideways almost shyly. Another thing I didn't think I would see from Minako.

THE WALL:

I lay on the bed, watching her. I felt for the first time in such a situation completely out of my depth, scared almost. Looking at her seemed to steal all my confidence away, and I stared, resting on my forearms, half sitting up, knees bent, just waiting. She glanced over her shoulder, meeting my eyes as she slipped off her tights, slower than she needed to, with the grace of a dancer. I was watching Aino Minako, famous pop star, my best friend, undress for me and it was deeply arousing. I was experiencing something millions of boys and probably a few girls were dreaming about right now. I was happy that my concern over not being that into her was unfounded. The state she had already worked me into combined with the newness of this made the entire experience almost surreal, heady. I was blushing from my cheeks to my toes. I felt like one of those thirteen year olds at the moment… turned on, confused, and embarrassed all at once… stuck with feelings I could only guess what to do with. I let myself look at her. I wasn't used to comparing my body to that of my lover. Her stomach especially was different than mine, more muscular… not that I was ashamed, but she had the body of an athlete. Even with my legs turned to jelly I felt like I had to go over there… had to do even a little of this myself.

The first touch of my hands on her bare skin was electric and I had to kiss her again. She leaned into me and I took off her bra, needing to feel her body touch mine. I could feel the firmness of her abdomen beneath perfect skin as our bodies met. She stepped back and looked into my eyes with such focus that my head dropped almost submissively and I saw the last bit of her clothing fall to the floor. Swallowing, I looked at her completely naked body. I felt my cheeks flame when I noticed she how she kept herself. I suppose with all the skimpy outfits and swimsuit photos being snapped it made sense, but still seeing this part of her surprised me almost as much as my wondering if it was as soft as the rest of her. She was an absolutely gorgeous girl, woman I guess. I had always known that intellectually, but seeing her this way was a wholly new thing. Not as confident I turned slightly, facing the wall, removing the final piece of my clothing as well. I crossed my arms over my chest, realizing it was foolish after her mouth had so thoroughly explored me, but I had already done it and wasn't going to call attention to it by moving my arms again.

I watched her watching me. "God.. Rei you're so beautiful" She whispered it, her eyes wide and so blue. She had moved toward me. She stepped to the side of me, lifting my hair over to the front of me, one hand caressing me, her lips following across my back. I gasped as I felt her the length of her body press from behind, her hand passing in front of me, fingers spread across my stomach. She had clearly noticed how sensitive my neck was and took full advantage of that now. My legs became useless almost immediately and my body became a trembling mess. My head fell back to rest on her shoulder. I didn't notice my hips had begun to move until I felt her moving with me, sighing softly and making delicate sounds of pleasure, more feminine, higher pitched than my own. They were causing my insides to shrink and expand wildly. I could feel the smoothness of her on my backside and was overwhelmed by all of it, that I could feel this way without her actually inside me. My arms shot out toward the wall in time to prevent me from falling forward. I gasped again as her fingers found my nipple, rolling and pinching as we moved together. My head rolled forward against my arm. Everything was mixing together in me, calling attention to the building emptiness inside me, the need to be filled that was growing each time I felt her press into me. It was becoming too much, it had been too long since I had felt this kind of need for anything or anyone. I could feel the heat coming off her in waves, where her forehead rested on my shoulder blade, where her breath hit my back, from the place on her where I was certain the same need was growing. Her hand finally released my breast and trailed down, following my hipbones, caressing my thighs in a way that was absolutely maddening. My movements were embarrassingly twitchy, as if my body couldn't decide which way to go.

"Mina…please."

"Turn around. I… want to see you." I wasn't sure what she'd meant until I obeyed and we were eye to eye. She was watching me and suddenly I was nervous, naked against the wall, my desire for her undeniable. Her fingers were dancing on my hip again, her body just a breadth away from mine. I closed my eyes as her touch came closer to where I needed it, my hips trying to meet her hand. I shuddered as two of her fingers slipped between my thighs, running softly, smoothly along the very outside of me. I nearly whimpered as she stroked me, never going inside me, and then her other hand was around my thigh, lifting it, wrapping it around her, opening me wider. I was trapped between her and that blank wall, the fact I couldn't really escape somehow enhancing everything I was feeling. She bit my earlobe, her fingers brushing the most sensitive part of me for the first time and I cried out. I tried not to be embarrassed by how ready I was.

"Open your eyes Rei…" She was whispering to me again, and I felt myself pulse against her fingers. Open your eyes…open your eyes…I tried to make sense of the words. Finally they seemed to click and as I did what she asked, her fingers slid all the way inside me, her eyes boring into mine. I moaned, a wave of pleasure coursing up my body as she slowly drew her fingers out and with the same firm, controlled pressure pushed them back deep inside me. That feeling, the emptiness was now sated. My body was completely unsteady, but she held us up, bracing us with her legs. I lost track of everything, my breathing, my movements, my voice, my balance and I clung to the blue of her eyes, finding a hold there as she touched me, drawing sensation after sensation out of me. She spoke to me, as she curled her fingertips inside me, as my body curled in response, told me beautiful things, sweet things, sexy things none of which I could even understand beyond the appreciation of her intoxicating tone. A tightness was building inside me, pulling everything in me toward it and all I could see was ocean blue, flickering in the dim light.

Then I felt her move, her breath on my stomach, the thigh that had been draped around her now being moved to rest on her shoulder. I looked down at her questioningly through my haze, but still her fingers didn't stop and I couldn't put together what was going on until her tongue traced the crease of my hip on the leg that was just barely managing to stay on the ground. I drew in a shaky breath as she kissed my inner thigh and much to my own shame made a noise that sounded like a whimper. I couldn't believe she was going to do THAT …like this… kneeling at my feet. When her tongue touched me, my head went back, hitting the wall, the pain so minimal compared to the pleasure she was causing. My hands tangled in her hair. Her other arm wrapped around my leg where it rested on her shoulder, her hand on my backside, holding me to her. Between her mouth and her fingers, I was gone. It was so much at once that I didn't…couldn't know what to do. I could feel more than hear the soft rumblings of pleasure from her, vibrating the part of me trapped between her lips. I found myself blushing at the thought that she was enjoying this and not doing it only for my pleasure. It was as if I had never done this before. She was controlling me, pulling responses from me that I didn't know I could still feel. I nearly collapsed with the force of my orgasm, but she caught me, helping me down and onto the bed a few feet behind us.

THE BED:

I was laying against her shoulder, both of us stretched out on the mattress. She was stroking my hair away from my face with such tenderness that it reflected in me and I took her hand in mine, kissing the knuckles. My breathing was still shallow and my skin was warm and pink, but I felt steadier now. "Reiko…are you okay?" Reiko, she has only ever called me that a few times, when something deeply emotional was happening. I liked it, but would never let her know that. It seemed like such a silly question to ask. I was more than okay, I felt amazing. I smiled and nodded against her arm. I noticed a slight trembling in her hands and legs.

"Are you?" I asked, balancing my chin on her shoulder as I touched her stomach, tracing the lines of muscle that run up either side. Her body was incredible. I kissed beside her ear, watching her reaction, the goose bumps rising all along her nape. I saw her swallow and close her eyes, clenching her thighs just a bit. I ran my fingers up her torso, along the underside of her breast, circling, watching her nipple harden, surprised I was causing it. I moved to hover over her.

"Rei…" I kissed along her collarbone until she touched my face, lifting it. "Rei, you don't have to do this." I suddenly realized that she had no expectations of reciprocation in this and I had trouble understanding why she would be satisfied with that. Maybe she didn't want to be touched, but either way I wanted her to understand I would never have let it happen that way if it were up to me.

"I want to…unless you don't want me to…"

Her expression was surprised, but in response to what I wasn't sure. Confused I began to move away from her, but her hand caught mine and pressed it to her breast. I felt her nipple poking into the center of my palm, and then she looked up at me. "Please."

I suddenly felt bolder, impassioned even. "Please what?"

She blushed a bit. "Please touch me Rei, I need you." That voice… I kissed her, tasting myself on her, surprisingly not bothered by it. I lowered my body onto hers, letting my leg fall between hers. I could feel how excited she was and I pressed into her with my thigh, her moan swallowed in the kiss. I kissed along her neck, playing with her breast, letting her push against my leg, pressing back. Her hands kept running along my back, nails scratching lightly at me, making me feel powerful for no reason I could figure out. I took her nipple into my mouth, gauging her reactions to different things, trying to bring her as much pleasure as I could. I loved the way her hips shot up when I nipped at her and the noises she was making were doing the strangest things to me, causing little shocks of pleasure. Her movement against my leg was becoming frantic. I let my hand wander down, caressing the smoothness above her entrance.

As I slipped my fingers inside her, it was not the feeling of it that struck me, but the look on her face…it was a look that I knew instantly. I understood now why she wanted to watch me. She was giving control of her pleasure over to me, allowing me inside her, and I was caught by the intimacy of this in I way I never had when on the other end of it. At the same time that I was the one giving her pleasure, I knew what she must be feeling, had just experienced the same thing she was and the synergistic sensuality of it was indescribably moving. There was something incredibly erotic about having this level of power over someone else, but I found as I watched her I was overcome with a tenderness that enmeshed itself with my own need. I wondered if she had felt something similar being inside me. All I wanted was to bring her pleasure, to be the cause of her pleasure, to communicate to her how beautiful I thought she was, how much I cared about her using my body. I touched her where I knew she needed me to with my thumb, while I let her hips guide the rhythm of my hand. She climaxed quickly, and I could feel her physically contract around my fingers, her arms tightening around me at the same time. She cried out, deeper than her other sounds, and I moaned as my abdomen clenched in response to the noise.

I lay next to her, and she rolled on her side facing me, curling up, catching her breath. I touched her face with the same gentleness she had touched mine.

"Rei-chan…" She was falling asleep as she whispered it. That strange look was in her eyes again and I felt something tightening in my chest, like my heart was beating too fast. She whispered something I didn't catch as sleep took her. I wanted to thank her for reminding me what this could feel like, thank her for being the person she was, thank her for caring about me. I traced my thumb along her cheek, kissed her temple and whispered to her that she was beautiful and soon my eyelids became heavy themselves.

END.


	2. On Love and Destiny

ONE NIGHT II

ON LOVE AND DESTINY:

MINAKO'S POV

THE CONDO:

I was slumped in the black leather chair in the corner of my condo. It was modern, simplistic, stylish, but above all uncomfortable and I'm sure I looked it. My sunglasses where thankfully covering nearly half of my face, hiding the deep circles I'm sure were hanging just below my eyes. I could feel her annoyance at my poor posture and so I slid further down, opening my legs a bit for good measure. She was looking out the wall of glass that opened onto my private deck, watching the paparazzi stories below us camped out on the street. Tiny flickers of light erupted like backyard fireworks every time someone exited the gates.

"Did you get in here alright?"

"Yes, they got here right when you did." She touched the glass as she spoke. Watching her still could make my heart race, make me feel like child. I loved her hands, their elegance, the way they moved with such purpose. That night, they painted the most beautiful things across my skin. I told myself before I saw her that this will be the time I confess my heart, but…I know I won't. My life is complicated and ridiculous and I have no right to ask anyone to share it with me, let alone her. The whirlwind of parties and events and concerts and promotional appearances and interviews and… well I think it would kill her. We don't talk about any of this. I guess she still dates and probably assumes I do too. I may have initiated it, but that night I never seriously believed it would happen. We fell into each other's arms almost randomly, as if it was beyond our control. It's been almost a year.

The morning after I had woken up when my phone rang. It was 9:34 and I was already late for a meeting. She wasn't there, but had left me a note explaining that she needed to be back at the shrine. I guessed she had left hours before I even got up. I didn't know what to think and I got the feeling she didn't either. I knew I had no right to ask for anything more than what happened. That night was already beyond what I thought was possible. We'd seen each other once before this. It was quick, the whole group of us, and I couldn't do or say anything. Being near her was much the same as it always was… a wonderful sort of torture. Only a few things had changed for me. I had to talk myself down so much more, quiet myself. There wasn't a way to not know what she felt like anymore. We'd been talking now on the phone too. I had called her when not knowing how she was started driving me insane. Now she called me every once in while… always late at night, when she couldn't sleep. Obviously I never minded. I was surprised when she suggested we meet before the wedding and go there together.

"They're still down there?" I asked.

She glanced over, meeting my eyes as I lifted my glasses up on top of my head. "Doesn't really look like they plan on leaving any time soon." I could tell I looked like death by the concern on her face. I could never sleep on airplanes, and so it was pretty common for me to lose track of how many hours I'd been awake at any given point. She looked tired too, but as always still impeccably put together. If I didn't know her I wouldn't have been able to tell at all. I wished we had time for me to sleep, even if it was only on the couch. At the moment, I would have killed someone if I were promised a nap with her in return. I suppose there's nothing makeup can't fix though.

"We need to find a way to sneak out of here." I stood up, gazing nervously down at the crowd below. She stood beside me, and I rubbed at the back of my neck and the skin behind my ear.

I was wearing the perfume that she had given me for my last birthday. I wondered if she could smell it, if she noticed. It was the most intoxicating scent… subtle notes of clove, unexpected but almost like a taste. She had told me she bought it because she thought it suited me. I tried not to swoon too visibly.

"You can have your driver come to the private garage…but I'm not sure they wouldn't follow the car…" She suggested.

"They probably will." A knock sounded at the door. I opened it to reveal Sara, my assistant.

"Come in" She nodded and slid the door closed politely. I whispered to Rei, "Isn't she cute?" Beautiful blonde hair, long legs, soft blue eyes… she was adorable.

"You only like her because she looks like…." I was prepared to be offended, but saw a smile crack across her lips. Clearly she had thought of something. "Give me your sunglasses Mina."

We pulled out behind the two black SUVs holding my entourage and a newly dolled up Personal Assistant wearing some very expensive shades and a gorgeous jacket. Sara's sensible, fuel-efficient car went unnoticed by the photographers as Rei pulled out in the opposite direction.

"You are scary smart sometimes." I commented, nibbling off pieces of a twizzler from my crouched position in the foot well. It was slightly stale. I liked them that way and I knew Rei wouldn't touch them like that.

"I have my moments."

"but sneaky…" I added, waving the red candy rope in her direction for emphasis.

"Are you complaining?" She gave me her famous arched brow. I lived for that look.

"I know better… I was worried though." She was watching me out of the corner of her eye. "Ami doesn't need that…not on her day." I have been worried sick that the flashbulb frenzy that seemed to find me wherever I went would crash the wedding. I would never forgive myself.

"So how did you get to the dress fitting without being noticed?"

"I flew the dress out while I was on tour… my wardrobe people fixed it up for me."

"Must be nice…"

"Fame has its draw backs, y'know. You look good in that." And she did, her clothes accentuating her naturally feminine body. She unquestionably knew how to dress herself. I guiltily found myself imagining removing them as I climbed up into the seat. We were probably far enough away from them by now.

"I flew my tailor out while I was vacationing on my private island." She replied sarcastically, shooting me a smirk and playing with the pendant around her neck.

"Oh just shut up and drive." I had definitely missed her. "So when are we supposed to be there?" I looked at my watch. It was 10:15…a perfect time for a midmorning nap. A pulled out another stale twizzler and smirked as she curled her lip in revulsion.

"Have you eaten any real food today?"

"This is real food." I protested.

"No, that's plastic and food coloring."

"Well it's delicious plastic." I chewed it happily. She rolled her eyes.

"We're supposed to be there around 11. There are apparently tons things we have to do. Usa, of all people, sent a list… manicures, pedicures, hair, make-up, dresses, sit with a whole bunch of people I don't know, watch all Ami's relatives falling all over themselves when they meet you… it's gonna be…" She stopped a minute, clearly anxious.

"Fun!" I commented cheerfully.

"Hai, fun." She said in the most resigned tone of voice I'd ever heard.

"Don't be such a brat. Who doesn't love a little pampering?" I winked at her.

She sighed. "It's for Ami-chan."

"Such a good friend." I filled with my voice with honey and made a face I hoped looked like awe and admiration. I was happily surprised that we were falling so easily into our usual back and forth. She tried very hard not to smile.

"And by the way, no one is going to fall all over themselves when they meet me." I added.

"Do you even remember Shingo at Usa's wedding Minako?" I was getting the serious face.

Yes…I did. I was honestly a little shocked he was that star struck… I mean he knew me before any of this happened. Then again he was pretty young when we first met. I had danced with him and he had surprised me by kissing me in the middle of the dancehall, then promptly ran out. Usa was mortified. I still thought it was kind of funny.

"Well you can help me! Be my knight in a shining bridesmaid's dress. You can stay with me, protect my virtue."

"Your virtue Mina?"

"Oh shush. "

"Knight?"

"Shush. Let me pretend."

She glared at me, and I smiled, closing my eyes. She was blushing. I had seen it.

THE PENTHOUSE:

"This is a little much…" She thought I had gotten us the penthouse suite. It was over the top, absolutely gorgeous, but still over the top. Besides it would be silly and awfully bold of me to do given the fact I had no idea if she was even interested in anything like that again. Maybe I was reading too much into it, maybe she just assumed we'd stay in a room together because we were close.

"It's not for you greedy, it's for Ames…a surprise, I got them upgraded. I just wanted to make sure they brought everything I asked." She looked around, noticing all the roses and various flowers, the chocolates, the fresh fruits, the wine. I was pleased, the arrangements and décor…it was romantic while still being tasteful. I rubbed my hands together, smirking, basking in the glow of a job well done. She, of course, had to interrupt it.

"It's nice Mina, but where are WE going stay?" She was clearly joking, playing with me.

"What's all this we? You haven't been very nice to me Rei-chan…" I gave her my best pout and she rolled her eyes.

"How are you gonna stay here without people seeing you?" She asked me.

"I rented out the hotel."

"The whole hotel?" She looked at me like I had just murdered someone in front of her.

I smiled at her. "Of course not silly. Just this floor."

"That's absolutely crazy."

"Well it's the only way to get some privacy." I defended, feeling slightly embarrassed. I guess to a Shinto priestess renting out half of an upscale hotel seemed wasteful. "Besides, their families needed somewhere to stay."

"You paid for their rooms?"

I turned to her, trying to be serious. "What's the point of having all this money if you can't do nice things for people with it?"

She just looked at me like she didn't know what to say and I couldn't tell what she was thinking. I hoped she didn't think that the fame was making me lose touch, that she didn't think I'd become a completely ridiculous person.

THE WEDDING:

God Ami looked so beautiful. She looked like an angel in white, and the young doctor she was marrying looked so handsome in his suit. I had only met him twice when I was visiting. He was so shy… like her really. Their rings, their faces… I was an absolute mess. I hadn't stopped crying since the music started and the vows….the vows! I felt awful thinking it, but Usa was saving me some embarrassment with her barely contained sobbing. I kept trying to get a hold of myself, but one look at my princess's trembling lip and I was right back into it. I really couldn't help it. This was all so blissfully romantic. I wiped quickly at my eyes, horrified to see black smeared all over the back of my hand.

"Pull yourself together." Rei whispered as a slight whimper escaped me. I could see she was a little teary herself, watching one of our best friends head back down the aisle to their waiting car. Rei must have noticed my panicked look. "Stop rubbing your eyes Mina!" Ooops.

"I didn't think I would be crying this much!" I was tearing up again as I tried to explain myself. "It was just such a beautiful ceremony… I"

"You're a mess…come on…" She grabbed my hand, pulling me toward the bathroom, locking the door behind us. I sniffled as I watched her dig through her clutch on the counter, trying to calm myself. Finally finding whatever it was, she poured some liquid from the small bottle onto a paper towel.

"Sit on the counter."

"You brought make-up remover?" I asked as I hopped up.

"Of course…look up." I did, trying not to be distracted by the intensity in her eyes as she concentrated on fixing me. She always looked so cute when she was focused on something. I could feel her breath on my shoulder, her legs leaning against me. It took all my concentration not to react.

"What do you mean of course?"

"Mina… you and Usa always cry like babies at things like this." She used her thumb to wipe the last bit away, trailing it down my cheek. I could feel her hand on my knee like a hot iron. "There." I resisted the urge to kiss her.

I let my eyes drop and we smiled at each other, hers more of a smirk. "Thank you."

She shrugged and backed up, tossing me some mascara from her bag. "This one's waterproof." I stuck my tongue out at her and got up to use the mirror. She laughed and I hip checked her for good measure, satisfied when she stumbled. She was so much fun when she wanted to be.

"Hey!"

"You deserved it."

THE RECEPTION:

I felt her watching me as I made my way back to my table, shaking hands with cousins and relatives nervous to be meeting a famous person. I wished that it could have been avoided, but I didn't want to go in disguise. I tried to be charming and gracious, thanking them for each compliment they gave me. It was amusing after awhile, especially when Ami's newly acquired 6-year-old nephew fainted when I kissed his cheek. I found myself smiling and sending Rei a wink across the hall. She lifted her glass to me and took a seat. I saw Ami and her husband approaching her from the left.

They spoke to each other, but I couldn't hear what was said. As I signed another autograph I watched as she hugged them both, engulfed by the overwhelming happiness radiating from them. Rei was smiling, a big full smile and I felt my heart slow. I closed my eyes for a minute to clear my head. When I opened them, Ami and her husband were walking away. They had been making their rounds since we arrived and they still had more than half the room to visit and thank. I didn't envy them that. I was finally able to get back to the table and I noticed quite a few of our friends had made their way over.

Rei was giggling. For some reason this seemed like a weird occurrence to me and I found myself just watching the scene for a few moments. In all the years I had known Rei, I don't think I have ever seen her actually giggle. Haruka seemed to have a knack for pulling those tinkling little laughs from her…whatever she was whispering seemed to be doing the trick, though I'm sure the open bar wasn't hurting the situation either.

"You two look like you're up to no good." I commented sitting next to Ruka, playfully slapping her leg.

"They are…" Makoto answered with a shake of her head, sipping on a glass of champagne and bouncing a laughing pink haired little girl on her knee. I smiled at them both, then crossed my eyes and stuck out my tongue at Rini. She laughed and clapped and I lifted my eyes back to Makoto and promptly rolled them in their direction. She smiled warmly and turned back to her conversation with Michiru.

I took the martini 'Ruka had left temptingly abandoned in front of her. "Mind if I join?"

She smiled at me. "Please." She met Rei's eyes for a second and the priestess lost it, a tiny chuckle escaping her lips.

I raised an eyebrow and peered around our friend. "Rei…are you laughing at me?" I teased, while out of the corner of my eye I watched Ami dancing with her now husband, Mamoru and Usa only a few feet away.

"In that dress? Impossible." The blonde racer interjected. I found myself blushing as Rei smirked, that eyebrow up.

"I'd be flattered if we all weren't wearing the same dress." Part of me was sure they were having fun at my expense, the other part was anxious that they weren't.

"It suits you better." Rei commented. I wondered what exactly about a satin mermaid cut dress suited me better.

"And why is that?" I asked conversationally as if I wasn't really interested.

"The color brings out your eyes. You look beautiful." She looked at me briefly, but turned away as she said the word 'beautiful', taking a sip of her drink. I didn't know what to say. She had whispered something similar to me once, right in my ear when she thought I was sleeping, called me beautiful and the memory of her lips on my temple, her breath on my neck returned, fresh and vivid. I rubbed at the skin behind my ear. The things this girl, woman now, could make me feel.

I noticed Haruka looking between the two of us, a half amused half curious expression on her face. I smacked her leg again for good measure as she passed by, taking Michiru by the hand out toward the dance floor. If I felt bold enough, or crazy enough, maybe I would ask Rei to dance later.

"What were you two giggling about?" I asked, crossing my legs and enjoying the taste of the surprisingly well-made martini. Perhaps I was a bit jealous.

She scowled. "I wasn't giggling"

"You were."

"I didn't."

"It was cute!"

She gave me an annoyed look. "You're so…"

"Adorable?"

"That wasn't the first word that came to mind, no." She said sarcastically and I just smiled at her in response. We sat quietly together, sipping our drinks, watching our friends dance. Well, she was watching them and I was watching the way the tiny crystal lights hanging from the ceiling cast flashes of red-violet through her dark hair. My heart was rebelling against its own fullness, hammering against the wall of my chest. To sit so close to her and not touch her, knowing what it would feel like… I should talk, get my mind on something else.

"I'm glad I could come for this. I feel like I miss everything." I said quietly, thinking specifically about Rini's birth… about the text message that told me the time, the weight, the picture of everyone, even Rei huddled around her.

"Are you happy Mina?" It was a loaded question. Her tone was unrecognizable.

"I am right now." It was a loaded answer, but I left the interpretation to her. She gave me a concerned look, as if she wanted to say something. I smiled brightly at her, as if I didn't have a care in the world, and finished my drink.

She took my hand in hers, squeezing it. "Come outside with me, I need some air."

I nodded and followed her out toward the balcony on the far side of the room. We leaned on the railing and I noticed how wonderful the cool stone felt on my palms. She stood a short distance away from me. It was a clear night and the moon was big and slightly orange. We looked out at the stars in silence for several minutes. I listened to the sounds of clinking glasses, laughing people, music muted through the french doors behind us. I stared at the glowing moon, studying it.

"In England they said the darker shapes were a 'man on the moon', that it looked like a face…"

"A face?" She raised her eyebrows, squinting a bit.

"I know… I don't see it either." I smiled at her. "What did your grandpa tell you?"

She sighed "That the moon god came from the eye of another god cleansing himself after descending to the underworld to rescue his wife." She answered. I was watching her lips as she spoke.

"Like a tear drop in the sky." The idea appealed to me.

"Not really. She warned him not to look at her when he found her. He turned around anyway, saw that her body was decomposing and left her there, using a boulder to trap her inside. He had to purify himself after, that's where the water came from."

"Oh…" That idea wasn't so appealing.

"Yeah…"

I laughed. "That's a lot less romantic…"

"Romance isn't my strong suit." She commented and I could hear the underlying self-judgment hidden in the words.

"Maybe you've just never met someone who inspired it in you." I replied, hoping she'd disagree with me.

"Maybe I'm just not that good at it… even when I want to be." I watched her picking at the base of her fingernails. She had whispered the last part and I had to strain to hear it. My heart started to beat a bit faster. Did she want to be now? I wanted to say something, do something, be bold, but I didn't move. I had exhausted all my boldness the last time we were together. I was lucky she didn't slap me with the way I approached her. We just looked at each other, trying to say what we wanted with our eyes, neither of us understanding. She turned away, staring straight ahead into the night sky, as if I wasn't even there… a blush on her cheeks. I stepped up to her, nervous, touching her waist through the satin. She looked at me, her lips a soft shining pink in the darkness.

"God I wanna kiss you right now." I said it in the same moment that I thought it, feeling my own blush already warming my cheeks.

Her eyelids fell, fluttering a bit. She moved us toward the wall that stood between the two sets of doors leading onto the balcony. I knew she could see the question on my face, but she ignored it. She didn't want anyone to see us I realized. I wasn't sure how to feel about that. Her lips were suddenly on mine. Like last time, her kiss was a breath after diving underwater or the first bite of something delicious. Her perfect hand was resting against my cheek as her lips parted. My whole body warmed. We broke the kiss, each breathing a little different.

I felt her tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear, sighing. She rested her forehead on mine. "Minako…What am I going to do with you?" I heard her whisper. I wasn't sure what she meant, what she was feeling, but her voice, so deep and shuddering gave me goose bumps. "Cold?" She asked, trailing her palm down my arm, making the situation worse.

I nodded and dragged her back inside.

THE HOTEL:

"Do you really not have a hotel room?" I didn't believe her. We were parked in the lot outside of the hotel. I was currently in the process of flipping out when I found out she wasn't staying there tonight.

"No… I figured I would stay at the shrine and come back in the morning."

"Why?"

"Because it's my home."

"But it's an hour away…and we have breakfast with them in the morning."

"You know I'm never late." If there was one thing that could be said about her, it's that she was unshakably punctual. Still, I wanted her to stay.

"Well what if there was traffic?"

"I'm never late." God, she was so stubborn.

"Well what if there was an accident, you don't know what could happen."

"Minako, I've never been late a day in my life and I am certainly not going to start…"

"Stay with me." It was such a quiet interruption, I was so worried what she might say in response, but needed her closeness too much to not say anything.

"Is that what you want?"

"Yes." I looked at her from the passenger seat. Stay with me tonight… just stay with me. I wondered if she saw it in my eyes, because she suddenly seemed nervous. "I mean, I'm not here for that long." I said, trying to lighten the mood.

She half-smiled at me. "Are you trying to guilt me into it?"

I looked at my lap "If I was?"

"It worked." I nudged her in the arm.

"Good!"

I was nervous for some reason as we took the elevator up to the 9th floor where my room was. This was starting just like that first night all over again. I couldn't believe that we had avoided the photographers all day. I was silent, listening to a message on my cell phone.

As I slipped the card into the slot, I laughed softly.

"They have Sara trapped in the hotel room I got her downtown. They have been following her around all night" I tossed my clutch on the table by the door and kicked off my heels. "I'll have to thank her. I'm kinda shocked it worked so well honestly." I picked at the fresh fruit I had ordered, guessing we would be back about half an hour ago.

"Well who can really tell you blondes apart anyway." She took off the scrap of fabric she had been using to cover her shoulders.

"I knew that charm wouldn't last." I shot back, nibbling on a cherry, stashing another in my hand as I made my way over to her. Our faces were so close, our bodies were so close… and I had a perfect ripe cherry in my hand, a bowl of fresh berries on the counter. The possibilities were really nearly endless. Part of me felt guilty having such thoughts about her, like I couldn't just enjoy being around her. It couldn't be helped really, I had those sorts of thoughts about her all the time.

"Mina…" She touched my face. I leaned into her hand immediately.

"Hmm?" She kissed my lips and I dissolved.

"I've missed you." I tried not to believe there was more in her words. I had missed her too, not just the kissing, but her smile, her laugh, her scowl, every bit of her. I felt her touch my hand and looked down to see the cherry was gone.

I brought my eyes back up in time to see her take the pit from her mouth. This was not helping.

"Thief." I said. She shrugged. "We should change into something more comfortable… I feel like I can't breath in this dress."

She gave me a crooked little smile, which I found incredibly sexy. "I don't have anything to wear…I didn't plan on staying here." She answered. A blush crept to my cheeks. She affected me so strongly. I wondered if she thought this was all a game… if she could possibly know what I really thought of her, of all of this.

She walked off toward the bedroom, carrying the backpack that kept her clothes from earlier. I followed her quietly, trying to relax myself.

"Here." I said softly. I stepped behind her, feigning a confidence I didn't fell and unzipped the dress for her. I couldn't tell if her shiver was because my fingers were cold or for another reason entirely. She stepped out of it and draped it over a chair. I found my thoughts wandering as her shoulder blades danced beneath her skin.

She gave me a look as she walked up toward me that I understood. Turning away from her, I bit lip as she braced her hand just below the swell of my lower back, her breath hitting my skin. She pulled the zipper down and slid her hands beneath the fabric, fingers fitting between my ribs. She moved her hands and used them to pull the bodice of the dress away. It fell to the floor. I felt her smile at the base of my neck, her nose in the curve where my shoulder began. She had noticed the perfume. She was kissing my skin, touching my stomach, reminding me why I could never seem to shake the ghosts of these feelings after she left. I was surprised to find a part of me resisting this, wanting only to lie down next to her, to stay awake all night with her, feel her skin against mine, listen to her speak in that quiet, deep voice she used that night… as if she were trying to keep the world from hearing us. I had stopped moving, frozen almost with my thoughts.

"Mina?" The question was a bit shaky. I didn't know if it was because of this or because of me. She cocked her head a bit as if she couldn't understand what she was seeing. I turned around, removing what little clothing I still had on. I looked at my clothes still folded in my suitcase. I threw on some pajamas and put some on the corner of the bed, before climbing into it. I tried to act as if this were nothing out of the ordinary. She was still standing were I left her when I looked up. I watched her undress, something she did shyly but without looking away this time. She was heartbreakingly beautiful. She put on my clothes quickly and climbed into bed with me. How was it possible we could be like this after a full year, no questions asked? I had no name for the sort of thing we had started.

THE BED:

I was playing with her long hair, enjoying the sensation of it falling through my fingers like black silk. She was lying on her back with her head on my stomach.

"That was a beautiful wedding." The comment came out of nowhere.

I was surprised. "I thought you would be the type to hate weddings."

"Why?"

I turned my head to look down toward her face and tried to be ashamed of myself for letting my eyes peak at her breasts, barely concealed by the camisole she was wearing. "I don't know…you don't like crowds, or noisy places, or extravagance."

She laughed a bit. It vibrated my whole right side and I smiled. "True, it's not so much the weddings I like. It's that everyone is so outside themselves, thinking about other people instead of their own needs… at peace..."

I sighed, loving the sound of her voice, so full of passion, without the usual disinterest coloring it. "He seems like a nice guy." I added.

"He does."

"He treats her well?"

"I think so. You're the 'goddess of love'" Rei was smirking, I could sense it. "What did you think?"

"It seems like a good match to me. I've only met him once or twice before this though. He's a little shy…like Ami." I was thinking a lot about them actually. I wondered what it would mean for her and him, how they would get from here to the future we knew. "Are you asking me if I think that he's 'the one' "?

She looked at me curiously. "Do you?" I hadn't thought about it until now, but I was curious. We couldn't be the only people in crystal Tokyo…. Who's to say he wouldn't end up there too? He could be some soldier from another planet, someone important. Was it destiny? I didn't know… "Ami must."

"I would hope so…" I said teasingly.

"I'm not sure you could really know if it was right." She was staring up at the ceiling and her voice never changed, but I felt suddenly nervous. I thought about the two of us lying here, how quiet I felt inside, how perfect it seemed.

"I think you would know."

I felt her stiffen a bit. "How…"

"It would just be different, not like anything else." I answered cautiously, trying to keep my tone neutral. "You could call it destiny, or soul mates, or true love, but it's all the same thing. Someone who makes you feel something you haven't or don't with anyone else." I didn't want to give too much away.

"That's different than destiny."

"What do you mean?"

"Destiny is not having a choice. It will happen whether or not you want it. It's… inescapable." She was playing with my hand almost mindlessly as she spoke, tracing my fingers and palm with hers, thumb running along the back of my hand. It was a mix of relaxing and distracting.

"You don't think love is like that?" It seemed to me by that definition they were the same thing. I knew the love I felt for her was like that. The word she had chosen to use… inescapable was so fitting. She was inside my head, my heart, always.

"I just don't like the idea."

"Which idea? Love or destiny?"

"Destiny having anything to do with love. People's paths in life are so different, how could you possibly expect to exist with your life tied to someone else's? It's a ridiculous starting point."

I smiled a bit, both sad and amused at the same time. "I think it works because people all have the same need."

"The need to have their needs fulfilled without fulfilling someone else's?" She said half-joking.

I was surprised and partly wondering if she was taking a shot at me. It didn't seem like it was directed at me, more that it was directed at the universe. "They need to love and be loved, but if it's true love… you don't think like that. When it's real… their needs are the most important thing…you want happiness for them … it doesn't matter if its what you say, what you do… with your body, you have the same goal. If you've felt that… then you understand the difference, then you know you've found something rare."

"That only makes it harder… if the paths they follow don't run together."

"If it's destiny then I guess they eventually would have to." I said. This was a conversation I didn't expect to be having with her tonight, or ever.

"But in the meantime what would they do?"

"They both know how the other feels?" I asking, trying to get the scenario right.

She paused for a second. "They only know how they feel."

We were talking about two people, who feel someone for each other, something both of them know is amazing and beautiful, don't know what the other feels and their lives were keeping them apart…god I wanted to believe she was talking about us. "What would they do?" I asked. Trying to wrap my mind around the question. "Try I guess… not to hurt each other, to make sure that whatever happens … the other person still felt… loved… " I knew that was what I was trying for the last time.

She was silent for a long time and I was too, wondering whether I had said more than I should have, wondering about us, about my destiny, if it were possible we had a shared destiny.

"When are you leaving?" She asked it quietly.

I hesitated a moment before answering, suddenly feeling guilty. "Tomorrow after breakfast. I have to be in the studio at night."

She didn't say anything, but I could feel her thinking something. I asked her a question that had been in the back of my mind. "Why did you hide us on the balcony?"

She hesitated a minute. "I don't want to cause trouble for you." She was trying to protect me, but she knew that the media had reported on my relationships with women before. I wondered if it was better that way… if keeping it quiet was the right choice for her, if I should have thought of protecting her in the first place. She couldn't understand what it would mean, if people knew…

"… people know about that."

"I meant in your personal life." Now I understood. She didn't want to cause any problems between me and the lovers she assumed I had.

"There is no one else." I put more emotion into it than I meant to, had wanted to say there couldn't be but stopped myself.

She said nothing, but lifted herself so she could look at me. Her eyes were so dark, so deep… like the sky we had been watching earlier. Meeting them even felt the same, seeing the lights sparkling against the black, shifting in the distance. Her hair fell around us and I needed to touch her. I brushed her cheek with my fingertips… the skin as impossibly soft as I remembered. I touched her lips and felt her shudder out a sigh, eyes shutting so tightly she seemed in pain. I wanted to tell her I would stay with her forever, never leave if she would only ask, but I couldn't promise those things. I couldn't do what I was doing and not disappear… even if by some miracle that was what she wanted. I brought her face to mine and kissed her, holding the back of her head as if I was drinking from her. I tried to take this moment in, drown myself inside it. I turned us over and she wrapped her arms around my neck. She opened her legs and our bodies settled lightly against each other. The covers fell away as we moved. She was different like this in way my body immediately responded to… in way that made me different too. That night, from the second she had agreed there was a change in her. She gave herself to me with that one word… with that quiet 'yes'. It was something I never expected her to do, something I had never seen her do in any other situation. I felt myself take her arms from my neck, holding her hands in mine, stretching her arms above her head. I held them only loosely, but she never resisted me, only met my eyes with a strange, almost pleading look that grabbed at my heart. When I kissed her neck, her legs wrapped around my body almost immediately and she moaned. The sound washed over me and she sighed my name.

"Reiko." I whispered back to her, against her skin as I bit at her earlobe. I felt her heels against my backside and I closed my eyes. They were such simple sensations, pressure, touch, warmth. They came like waves, almost knocking me over with their strength and I just held on. The intensity of it scared me, filled me until my body ached. My skin felt hypersensitive…where our breasts touched, our lips, the fabric of her clothes brushed my stomach. It was like these feelings had been building, waiting only for her. I didn't realize I had let her arms go until I felt her hands running along my shoulders, my face, my back.

I bent to bring my lips to the tops of her breasts, to give my mouth a distraction, to keep it from saying what it so badly wanted to. She arched her back, her hands on my shoulders. I felt her toes curling against my skin as I kissed along her collarbone. I lifted myself up and her thighs fell away to rest on the bed, knees still bent. I looked down at her…I was getting uncomfortably warm. I felt itchy from the heat radiating off my own body. I sat back and took my shirt off, taking a minute to pull my hair back. I pushed my shorts off as well.

I leaned down, spreading my hands across her abdomen, under her shirt, touching her stomach, and then kissing around her belly button. Her pants, rougher against my nipples than her skin would be, made me sigh when I moved. She watched me steadily and I could see she was breathing a bit harder as my tongue followed my lips. I pushed her shirt off and she lifted her arms and her upper body… letting me take it away completely. I passed my palms over her breasts, touching her, squeezing her, as she blushed lightly.

"I love the way you feel." I whispered near her ear, I couldn't help myself. My hands were on her breasts… she was moaning softly, almost like a purr, into my mouth and I could feel her rolling her hips beneath me. I traced the curve of her hipbone above her pants and she looked at me. Keeping her eyes on mine, even through another blush, she lifted herself enough to slide the rest of her clothes off. I stared at her completely naked body, overwhelmed by how beautiful she was. I laid myself back down, fitting her body with mine. Her legs were instantly wrapped back around me. I pressed against her and her eyes opened wide. We kissed as I moved with her, and I swallowed each delicious noise she made. Everything about this, the feel of her, those rumbling moans, my own cries mixing with hers… it was unreal. I didn't understand how I could want and feel so many things at once. I was looking down into her unusual amethyst eyes and felt myself spilling over the edge. I love you was all I could think, each time our bodies touched, I'm in love with you when her legs gripped me tighter, I love you. I held her tightly against my body, my hips following hers as she peaked.

I watched her chest as she caught her breath, her body shaking a bit and I turned to face her, untangling myself. I touched her face, needing to kiss her. She moved closer to me and I felt our knees touching, surprised when she gently pushed me down on my back. She was kissing her way down my body and I was suddenly nervous as her lips found the crease where my leg met my body. For some reason, letting someone do this always made me nervous and I knew she had never done this before… was concerned she wouldn't like it, was concerned about my already over sensitive body. I was about to pull her back up when I felt soft lips drag over me, kissing me lightly. I cried out, my head snapping back. Her arms curled around my thighs and I was lost. Her breath, her tongue, her warm lips … I was out of my mind with sensation. I was floating, my world shrinking to a pinpoint and then rushing out in all directions. I looked down and saw her eyes open and shyly meet mine…god, I was so in love with her. I was gasping, moaning, shaking until it all became too much and I said something as I came, the ringing in my ears drowning out my own voice.

THE CONFESSION:

When I opened my eyes she was sitting up, staring at me. "Why?" She said. I was confused.

I tried to catch my breath. "Why what?"

"Why would you tell me that?" She seemed upset, a little angry even and I still didn't know what was going on. "You're leaving tomorrow Mina. Why would you tell me that now?"

What could I have said? I was thinking as hard as I could, but my mind was still hazy. "I don't know."

"You don't know why you said it?" She looked as if she I slapped her. She grabbed a sheet and wrapped it around herself. How had this turned around so fast? "You're in love with me, Mina?…How can you not know why you said that?"

I nearly died. I couldn't even look at her. I wasn't supposed to say it out loud. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?!" There was an entirely different fire in her eyes now. "I should go."

"Wait…Rei, please." I grabbed her hand. I got up, moving in front of her, trying not to show how nervous her glare was making me.

"What?" She asked…all the trust drained from her eyes. "I could have dealt with it if I thought you and I were just…"

"Just what? Fooling around?" Now I was hurt. She turned her head away from me. Maybe I was just lying to myself, maybe she never really felt much of anything. She threw up her hands and sat on the edge of the bed. "Is that all this was for you?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, feeling my heart shrinking in fear. I knew I was asking more of her than I had any right to. I had been fooling myself all night. I felt like an idiot. She looked at me, her hair falling in front of her face.

"I don't know what to do with you…" She said in the same whispered tone she had used on the balcony. I still wasn't sure what she meant.

"Why?"

"Because!" She said exasperated. "Nothing else feels like this Mina, no one else feels like this and you're leaving..." I was too relieved to think clearly. She felt something, it wasn't all imagined.

"Come with me then." It was a stupid suggestion.

She gave me a look. "You know I can't."

"I know." I admitted. I knew and even if she had said 'yes' I wouldn't have let her. There was her shrine to think about. I didn't know if I could do this a second time, not with knowing that she felt the way she did. "I don't want to be without you anymore… I can't wait another year."

"How?"

"I don't know. I can fly back, I can fly you out. I don't care, I'll figure it out. The fame won't last forever Reiko…" I said quietly. I knew I was being irrational, but if she wanted it I would try anything. "Just say you want me to and I will." I whispered. All the thinking, the rationalizing fell away.

"It was a long time wasn't it?" She asked, as if she hadn't heard me.

I tried not to be irritated. "…were you… ok?"

"After?" She asked, raising her eyebrow. "Minako…that night…It's never felt like that … like there wasn't something wrong with me, like there wasn't a part of me that would always be missing…that couldn't feel what other people do." She paused. My heart started beating a bit faster. I sat down next to her, sliding my fingers over hers. "I don't think we have a choice in this." She said with no trace of being unhappy.

I knew she was talking about the nameless forces that push and pull people apart in this world, a cord that kept bringing us back to each other… about love and destiny. It was inescapable.

END.


	3. Every Way That I Hide

ONE NIGHT III

EVERY WAY THAT I HIDE:

REI'S POV

THE DREAM:

_I can't see anything, just blackness, but a warm sort of blackness, hints of deep reds and browns hidden in it. I know she's there, somewhere close by, but I can't feel her, can't move my arms. Strangely there are no bindings on me, nothing covering my eyes and they are not closed. I'm not scared, but I'm anticipating… a movement, a sound, something. As I breathe in, I can taste the gentle heat of her body, like cinnamon or clove without the bite. My senses are muddled and mixed._

_I feel her touch me and her fingertips sink into my skin as if it were air, as if everything inside of me is hers. I hear myself gasp as I evaporate under her hands, pieces of me floating, swirling, twisting around her outstretched palms as they follow the lines of my body. My lips melt as she kisses me, as I let myself fall apart beneath her._

I woke up with a start, blinking into the darkness of my room, my arms searching for her. Not here, a dream, another dream of her. I rubbed at my face, looking at my bare knee, bent, poking out from beneath the sheet. It was grayish in the dim light. I sat up slowly, crossing my legs, letting my hair fall in front of my face, letting it hide me. These dreams were torture. They are always slightly different and yet always very much the same. I tried to calm myself, my body.

As if on cue, my phone lit up. I eyed it warily, wondering if it was wise to pick up. "Hello?"

"Hey." Her voice was soft and quiet and relaxed me more than it should have. My body slid down into the bed, my eyes closing.

"… why are you up?" I asked, conscious of the change in my voice, the slight rasp.

She laughed. "Why are you?" I imagined her lips pursing, the slight shake of her head.

"I wasn't." I said.

She paused, waiting a second and I wondered if maybe that came out wrong. "Did I wake you up?"

"No."

"What's keeping you up Rei-chan?"

"Dreams." I said, wishing I had lied. I blushed, glad she couldn't see me.

"Visions?" She asked.

"No." I said. "Dreams." She couldn't see my face, but I could swear I felt her smiling against my skin.

"Not bad ones?" She clarified, her tone slightly teasing. I could tell she had a fairly good idea about the type of dreams I was having.

"No… not bad ones." What was I getting myself into?

"I'm glad you're awake."

I was glad too actually. It was nice to hear her voice. I wished I could feel it on my skin, the way it seemed to wrap around the inside me, I wanted to tell her, but it sounded silly in my head.

"What time is it?"

I heard some shuffling. "2:23." I rolled over to glance at my clock. 12:23am… she was 2 hours ahead.

"Where are you?"

"Australia." She said. It seemed so far away, not nearly so far as when she was in America, but still ocean enough. "Do you like it?"

"I like the accent, it's cute."

"Are you sleeping at all?" She had so much trouble now, between the planes and the time changes. As someone who never slept that well, I wondered if it was affecting her more than she showed. "You know me, I could sleep forever and still take a nap." I smiled against my cell phone. It was true enough. I hated naps myself. If I wanted to wake up sweaty, confused, and dry-mouthed I would at least drink myself to oblivion first. "How is everything there?"

I rolled my eyes. "Rini's birthday is tomorrow…Usa is driving Mamo and everyone else crazy planning it."

"Sorry I'm missing that." She actually did sound apologetic. I wondered sometimes, how hard it was on her being away from all of us. "She's turning 3 right? So crazy…"

"If I don't survive it, it will be your fault for leaving me to fend for myself in a unicorn themed house full of babies." I mumbled.

"My poor Rei-chan!" She answered in mock-concern.

"And grampa is trying to hire a new miko." I rubbed at my forehead.

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"No."

"Of course not."

"Mina…" I half growled. I didn't feel like being made fun of, but I knew she was only teasing me.

"Tell me."

"Tell you what?"

"What your dreams have been about…" Why hadn't I seen that coming?

I shook my head, smiling to myself. Of course she would ask that. "Maybe some other time…"

"I'll hold you to that." She laughed.

"I said maybe…" I corrected. She was quiet on the other end, only her breath told me she was still there. I imagined I could feel it against my skin, the tiny circle of warmth that faded too quickly only to be replaced by another. I remembered the words she had called out what seemed like forever ago. 'I'm so in love with you'. The phrase echoed in my head, her voice hoarse. I hadn't answered, hadn't even been able tell her I wanted her… I wanted this, not in those words. She hadn't said it again since, but we hadn't seen each other, not in three months.

THE CALL:

I didn't understand children at all, not even a little, but through serendipity or some other silliness Rini and I got along. She had been clinging to me all morning. I had met each one of her friends and been personally escorted to see every toy she owned. I had spent most of my time sitting on the floor, Rini in my lap, her tiny hands playing with the fabric of my sleeve. I tried to pretend I minded, but then she would turn around and flash some excited smile as if the mere fact that I existed brought her joy.

I tossed my bag on the chair by my bureau, noticing my sweater was covered in pink frosting. Sighing, I peeled it off. Shower or no shower?… I was so tired… no shower, sleep. I took off the rest of my clothes, threw my hair up, and collapsed into bed. It only took a few minutes for the heaviness in my eyelids to force them closed.

_Hot water pours over us. Her mouth is on mine, her body pressing against me, hands holding my wrists on either side of my head. The tiled wall is cool against my back and the mix of sensations is dizzying. I cry out her name as she bites my neck. The steamy air is hot in my lungs as I try to breathe in. I can't argue with the way she touches me, kisses me … I can't and I don't want to. Her body leads and mine follows without question._

_"Reiko…" She whispers, as she pulls back, my bottom lip slowly pulling free from her teeth. In that moment I realize that she has me completely, that just by looking at me the way she is now… I belong to her, that I want to belong to her. I feel her hand on my neck, turning my head, lifting my chin, as her tongue traces my pulse point._

I woke up sweating, the backs of my knees damp, my breath uneven, her name on my lips. Kami…these dreams were ridiculous. My hands were shaking as I ran them through my hair. I looked over at my phone, almost expecting it to ring like it did two nights ago, but it was black. I stretched my body out, untucking my feet, trying to cool myself down. Should I call her? I couldn't decide… it was so late.

My hand found its way to my hip and I closed my eyes. It had been years since I'd done that. I realized that set me apart from other people, but it wasn't something I usually had the patience for. As images from the dream drifted back through my mind, I was torn. The other hand suddenly joined in the rebellion, hitting the icon on my phone.

I listened to the ringing, losing my nerve.

"Hey." And then her voice.

"Hi"

"Are you ok?"

"Why…"

"You sound funny." I could hear the playfulness in her tone and immediately my ears started to burn.

"I was asleep." I defended.

"Dreams again?" She asked, after a pause. I wondered what she was thinking and sighed heavily. "You're not going to answer me, are you?"

"No."

"Such a tease."

I felt myself blush. "What are you doing awake again?"

"Waiting for you to call." She answered smoothly.

"I'm sure."

"I'm working on a new song"

I paused for a moment. "You're writing it?"

"I'm trying."

"Is this the first one?" I asked, happy we had something to talk about that would distract me from the lucid visions that were swimming in my head moments ago.

"Well, I've worked with lyricists before… like a co-writing thing, but yeah… this is the first on my own."

"Not going well?"

"No. I think I have maybe one line… and I don't even like it" She laughed. "I blame this hotel room… the flow is off." She was quiet for a moment and I heard a little tapping noise in the background. I imagined she was tapping her pen on the paper.

"I wish you were here." I whispered. My heart seemed to strain against my chest for a second, as if it would jump through the phone to her and I swallowed.

"Me too." She said quietly.

THE SHRINE:

I was not a patient person by nature and it was beyond my understanding why my grandfather decided to have me train this young girl he had hired. She couldn't have been less than 17, but she looked like she was 12. I took her around and explained things to her in the clearest way I knew how and all I had accomplished was to frighten her into knocking the entire display of talismans over. I would need to bless every one that touched the ground. I had stared at her, as anyone would have, hadn't said a thing and she took of running, crying like a… well like Usagi used to. I watched her fly down the stairs, hair streaming behind her and I didn't understand her reaction. Shaking my head, I righted the wooden structure that served as our display and felt someone approaching behind me.

"You scared her off!" My grandfather accused.

"I can't help it if she's too sensitive." I said, straightening my uniform and kneeling to pick up the scattered ofuda. I placed them off to the side of those that hadn't fallen, pretending as though the conversation was over. I clenched my fingers against the cold, tucking them inside the sleeves of my uniform. The air tasted like ice.

"You know…" He began, and I did. I knew exactly what he'd say.

"Hai Grampa, I know… you're not going to be around forever and I can't run this place by myself." I didn't like to think about that. It concerned me, the way he moved around so quickly, so freely, like he wasn't worried about saving his strength, his energy, with showing restraint.

"Well be nice then."

"I am nice!" He raised his bushy eyebrows. They had been that way for as long as I remembered, like gray foxtails glued above his eyes. He told me I used to pull on them all the time when I was a baby. I still had the urge every now and then, most especially when he was being totally inappropriate.

He shrugged at me. "She thought so, eh Granddaughter?"

I sighed. I had told him I wouldn't be good at it before he hired her. I was no teacher. The gray skies seemed to match my mood.

"Maybe she wants a job?" I heard that tone in his voice and turned to see some girl standing at the top of the steps. She had long dark hair, similar to mine, with skin of a slightly darker shade. Her eyes were hidden behind thick glasses and from the way she was dressed I would guess she was a college student. I looked at her face and saw a smirk break across lips I suddenly recognized even without the usual gloss.

"Mina…" I felt my heart beating a bit faster and a blush hit my cheeks. She was surprising me, I hated that. Usually hated that, though the nervous jumping in my stomach said otherwise.

"It can't be." My grandfather said, shuffling over to her. He laughed as she took off her glasses and smiled.

She bowed toward him, then winked and pressed her finger to her lips. "Shhh…" She was such a flirt.

"I like this one!" He was circling her. Of course he did, that skirt was tiny. It was the second time she come to the shrine in disguise. The first being the night that all of this started. It seemed forever ago now. Even the last time we had seen each other seemed like years before this.

"I knew it was you." I said quietly. I shouldn't be thinking of her lips, her touch, her taste… not standing here in the middle of my family's shrine in the light of day.

"You'd be welcome without the disguise Aino Minako… you could be the celebrity mascot of the shrine." I saw his dark eyes twinkling with ideas, his mind already scheming. I sighed heavily.

"Imagine all those reporters, trampling over everything… it would be a mess." I said. I often wondered why she came in costumes. I knew the logical explanation, but I questioned whether part of her was not ashamed to be here. "We know who would have to clean it up." I added, kneeling to gather up the last of the scattered talismans on the stone walkway. In an instant she was beside me, helping me. I tried not to look at her, afraid that my grandfather would see my thoughts written across my face. A single snowflake drifted between us, dissolving the minute it hit the ground.

"Well maybe just a picture of you and the head priest then." He reasoned. "We could put it with the fortunes in a nice frame."

"Grandpa…" Even he was star struck apparently. I could see from the tightness of her smile and the gleam in her eye that she was trying not to laugh. I felt a smile of my own pulling at one corner of my mouth.

"It's the least I can do, since I came to steal your granddaughter." She said, passing me the stack of ofuda she had gathered, our fingers just grazing each other. Our eyes met and I could feel a lump in my throat. The tiny pinpoint flakes hung in her hair, one landing on her eyelash. I turned around quickly, trying to appear wholly focused on placing them with the others I had collected. Steal me?

"Good luck." He crossed his arms. I glared at him.

"Do I get a say in this?" I asked.

"No." They both said.

THE CAR:

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I climbed in the car, brushing the snow from my jacket.

"I told you. I'm stealing you." As if it that meant that I belonged to her for however long she was here… the idea should have upset me, but it was too close to the truth for that.

"Mina… be serious."

She looked at me curiously. "I came to see you."

"Why wouldn't you tell me you were coming?"

She replied softly, as though she wasn't sure how I'd react…"I wanted to surprise you."

I said nothing. I didn't know why I was acting the way I was… what was making me nervous about this, except that I felt unprepared. The way I reacted to things on a visceral level was difficult even for me to predict. I liked to plan things so I had time to ease into the idea of them. That had been the hardest part of this for me, to just allow any of it to happen. There was so much about it that made me uncomfortable. I couldn't trust myself. My mind was always it was trying to find a darker explanation for this, a name for it, something besides falling in love. When I was alone I questioned everything. A million times I had thought this couldn't work, that this thing between us whatever it was should be left alone. All it took was her voice and I couldn't think why not.

"Rei…" She called my name softly. I looked up at her and she leaned over to kiss me, which surprised me again. I kissed her back immediately, without thought. The feel of her lips on mine brought memories of dreams floating back. She had been in mind even in sleep. I didn't often have dreams of that sort, but these were so vivid. I would wake up thinking she'd be next to me, above me, my skin warm, my arms reaching for her. When we spoke on the phone, I would find myself thinking about them, imagining them… blaming the change in my voice on exhaustion. It felt wrong to want something, someone this much. "Are you okay?"

"Yes." I answered instinctually, it was a question I was asked a lot as a child. I knew she could tell the reply was simply to end a conversation I didn't want to have. With her… in her I could see everyway that I hide. "Does anyone else know you're in town?" I asked.

"No. " She looked at me with a bemused expression. "Did you want to get together with everyone tonight?"

Part of me did, if only to run from the intensity I felt being alone with her. The larger part wanted her all to myself. I hadn't even given any thought to what we would tell the others. I didn't know what to tell myself about this, let alone anyone else. I needed to talk about something else. "So what is it we're doing then?"

She seemed frustrated by my evasiveness, but handled it well. "Rei I don't care what we do, I can't spend another night wishing I was here."

She always did that to me, became honest and serious when I was at my least comfortable. I wanted that too, but I also wanted this to be clearer, easier than it was, to understand these feelings that I couldn't seem to control. To understand this rare, achingly beautiful but wholly terrifying thing that felt like fire beneath my skin. More and more I had been chasing a feeling that we had done this all before… 'I don't think we have a choice' I had said. It was like painting a picture backwards.

"Let's go for I walk" I joked, eying the skirt and leggings that were so very weather appropriate.

"That sounds nice."

"It's snowing." I looked a the tiny glittering flakes through the car window as they shifted and fell toward the ground.

She gave a look of mock surprise.

I set my jaw. "Fine. No complaining though."

She smiled at me and winked. "You can keep me warm."

The thought was completely appealing, but I wouldn't let her know that. "I'll buy you a tea."

She stuck her tongue out at me and drove off toward the downtown area.

THE PARK:

We walked through the park, picking at some finger foods we had grabbed on our way in. The snow was falling faster and people were vanishing to the safety of their homes. I hadn't been to this park since I was little, it was farther away, but Minako had chosen it. I was enjoying the salty taste of the snack we were sharing, the way my feet sunk through the inch of snow covering the still visible path, the quiet that seemed to have fallen over everything, and her coat sleeve brushing mine.

"How did you get away?" I asked.

"I have two days till my next concert." She answered.

"Two days? Mina… you should be resting." I was worried for her, about the exhaustion that was always just below the surface. When I could hear it in her voice I wanted to take her away, let her sleep if only for a full night.

"I just…needed to see you."

I looked at her quickly, trying not to blush too obviously, not knowing what to say, but feeling myself smiling toward the ground.

She laced her fingers with mine and I realized how much like a date this was. Walking together in the snow, holding hands, eating things that I would feel guilty about afterward. I felt a new redness starting in my cheeks. Besides that there was the thought that Minako had become an international pop superstar. She wasn't just my best friend anymore, she was that singer on the cover of all the magazines, someone people knew. It was strange to think of her that way, it was always like I was seeing a different person, a girl who kind of looked like Mina. And now…we were quite possibly dating. Maybe that was the word for it.

Suddenly I felt her eyes on me. "What is going on in that head of yours?"

"Nothing!" I said dropping her hand to adjust my hair.

She raised her eyebrow toward me. "Your blushing as bad as Ami."

I felt myself scowl at the path we were walking on, feeling childish. I wanted to deny it, but realized that would just make me look worse.

"It's cold out." I said, it was a pitiful defense.

"Mmm, that's probably it." She was smiling at me as she took a seat on the edge of a stone fountain in front of us. If the water wasn't freezing I would have been tempted to drop her right in it. I sat beside her, looking at the girl I no longer recognized in profile. Strands of the raven colored wig she wore fell in front of her face, curling under her chin.

"You look so different with dark hair." I said, looking at the long tresses flecked with white. It didn't contrast with her still tanned skin the way the blonde did.

"Do you like it?" She asked, tilting her head slightly.

I reached out and touched it, surprised to find it soft, but not nearly as silky as the locks I remembered touching. "I like your hair."

There wasn't a single soul there and Mina took off her wig off, tucking it into her bag. She let her hair down and shook it out. "Better?"

I watched the snowflakes. They seemed to deliberately land in her hair, melting to nothing like they had been waiting for their chance. I knew exactly how they felt. She was staring at something, a laugh in her eyes and on her lips.

"What?" I asked.

"The frog" She said.

I turned and looked behind me. The water came from the mouth of a frog statue into a large stone square. The water hadn't frozen yet, but icicles hung from his mouth, giving him a goatee of sorts. It made me smile, in that small way you do when you see something that catches you.

"He's cute!" She added.

"He's a frog with a beard." I said, raising my eyebrow and she shrugged.

She looked like a little girl, leaning forward, eyes closed, feet swinging gently. We were sitting close and she was so easy in her enjoyment. I held my tea a bit tighter, annoyed by the tension that always seemed to fill me up. I felt her weight on my shoulder as she leaned against me and all the awkwardness seemed to dissipate. My shoulders relaxed and my head fell resting against the top of hers. The softy falling snow seemed to hide not just the colors of things, but the sound, like a gentle sleep blanketing the whole world. "It's so pretty out here…"

"It is…" I agreed. I closed my eyes too, imagining that I understood any of what was happening between us… imagining that I expected to be sitting in a park, feeling warm even with ice sticking in our hair. I imagined that it made sense to me that I was what?... falling in love? … all I knew was that she had become something to me that no one else ever had, than I thought anyone else ever would.

THE CONDO:

_Her hand runs along the curve of my hip, her body presses against mine from behind, her breath is warm on my neck. My body is still, whether I can't or don't move, it's all the same . I can feel my chest rising and falling, irregular, fast. Our skin fuses where we touch, flowing back and forth between us as if it makes no difference to whom it belongs. "I'm so in love with you…" Her words surround me, echo inside me and I realize they came from my lips._

I woke up underneath a blanket, warm air from somewhere tickling my neck with my own hair. There was a body behind me and I looked down to see an arm resting on my side. Minako. Our bare feet were touching where our legs intertwined. I didn't remember even laying down. I blinked, trying to focus my eyes, hearing her breathing in time with the piece of hair jumping along my neck. Where was I? What time was it?

"Hey…" She whispered. I could tell from her voice she had been asleep as well.

I remembered the walk outside, the warmth in her apartment, much warmer than the shrine ever got in the winter, watching the snow through the large picture window, the dream. There was a heaviness in my stomach from the food. I remembered trying to fight it, little fits of sleep causing my head to bob and now this. She had come for a single weekend and I had already wasted part of it.

I started to sit up. Those dreams, waking up, the feelings they constantly set swirling inside me. I had said I love you, whether in a dream or not I had meant it. This all was impossibly fast, and suddenly I wasn't dealing very well with it.

"Stay" She said, pulling me back down. I started to speak. "And don't apologize. I haven't sleep that well in a while." She spoke quietly, her voice vibrated against my skin. I played with her hand on my stomach, thoughts churning. My mind was wandering but my body… it was still happily resting, enjoying the closeness. "You're so warm." She murmured happily.

"Senshi of fire." I said dryly.

"Mm" She kissed my shoulder again. My fingers traced hers.

I looked out at the darkening sky, the light snow on the buildings and trees in the courtyard turning a glowing blue. I wanted to know how she read me so well, how she understood the things I never said.

I felt her shifting behind me, almost wiggling. I turned my body half way around, so I was laying on my back and raised my eyebrow at her.

"This couch is terrible." She scrunched her nose, looking down at me, resting on an elbow.

"You're the one who bought it."

"The designer chose it." She said rolling her shoulders back. I looked around. It did look a little too polished, like a magazine I had thought when I first saw it. "I didn't pick out much of anything." She seemed embarrassed to admit that. It was a strange situation to be in. It was the easier way to go but still, it made it seem almost...soulless. I liked seeing our shoes thrown at the edge of the rug, like someone might actually live here. I didn't want to think of her alone in this place.

"Did you choose anything?" I asked.

"The bathroom." She laughed. I hadn't seen her bathroom actually. I had used the one in the hall before. Now I was vaguely curious.

"Why?"

"It's my favorite room."

"The bathroom is your favorite room." I didn't ask it as a question. She was clearly serious.

She smiled around her discomfort. "I like baths."

I said nothing. The mental picture was enough. She was watching me with a smirk as I blushed. She met my eyes and took my hand. She tipped her head slightly and I knew exactly what she meant.

THE BATHROOM:

I watched her kneel and turn on the faucet, which was a deep copper color. It was shaped like a chute, open on the top and I watched as the steaming liquid poured down, splashing against the largest tub I had ever seen. She stood and smiled at me, before disappearing out the door.

My eyes followed her, my body didn't, it stayed leaning against the vanity, soothed to inaction by the sound of running water. Everything was stone and wood, but still clean lines. It wasn't what I would have guessed she'd like, more something I would have picked myself. She returned with two balloon glasses and a bottle of red wine. I gave her a questioning look.

"It's part of a great bath!" She defended.

"What? Do you pour it in?"

She rolled her eyes. "I'm perfectly happy to drink it myself."

"All that partying must be turning you into a lush…" I said, feeling a bit more relaxed with the opportunity to tease her a bit.

"Oh shush." She said, placing the already uncorked bottle on the counter pouring us both a drink. She walked up beside me, opening the medicine cabinet behind the mirror to pull out a small vial. It looked like some sort of essence.

She uncapped the bottle and the smell of jasmine wafted up. I guess she was fairly practiced at this. I watched her as she sat on the edge of the tub, eyes closed, wine in hand, fingers dancing slowly in the filling tub. There was a strange look of pleasure on her face and I found myself almost hypnotized by her. The dreams came back to my mind, the way her hands seemed to sink into me, as if I were that water. I'd never had so little control as I seemed to have in all of this. From the dreams I was having, what we had already shared, it seemed I liked not being in control. It was an idea I wasn't comfortable with…that I could have so much control in my every day life, and want the opposite sexually. Even the notion that I could desire any specific act sexually was strange for me. This was too much thought.

"Should I leave you to your bath?" I asked, my voice sounding a bit different. Hazy blue eyes opened and she glanced over at me. Placing the glass down she walked over to me, 'til our bodies touched. Her hands covered mine where they still rested on the vanity, and she captured me in a kiss, pressing her body against mine. Despite myself I groaned.

"Stay" She whispered against my lips as she started undressing me.

THE BATH:

I tried to keep my eyes from falling closed as I lounged in the hot water. It felt sinfully good. The tub was deeper than most and the rim came up to my shoulders. I tried not be impressed by the fireplace in the bathroom. I was sipping on the wine a bit too quickly.

She was standing naked in the center of this room that was easily as large as my bedroom at home. All sorts of shapes were blocked in shadow and light across her skin. She was reaching up and gathering her hair on top of her head. I tried to focus on her feet, her knees, anywhere but the play of muscles beneath the honey golden of her stomach. I swallowed and tried to relax as she climbed into the tub with me, her legs brushing mine. Settling in opposite me, she picked up a remote from the corner shelf. The fire came alive almost immediately inside a deep, square cut in the stone wall. It was the strangest one I had ever seen, about four feet of short flames in a straight line. Something inside me immediately disliked it, disliked the fact the fire could be controlled so easily, trapped.

"It comes with a remote?" I asked. I could feel the slight scowl on my face.

"You think I'm ridiculous don't you?" She was looking away. I watched as a piece of hair fell from the loose bun on top of her head. I didn't answer right away, surprised by the question, by the insecurity I could hear in it. I did think that, but not in the way she meant. It wasn't the money, the fancy things that bothered me, it was the taming of something that was beautiful only because it wasn't tame. I liked her ridiculousness. I didn't know what to say.

"Sometimes." I answered, twirling my fingers through the water. "I like it though." I added with a smirk, nudging her with my shoulder.

She rolled her eyes. "Jerk." She said with a smile and I tried to believe she was entirely kidding. I took another sip of the wine that was doing nothing for my sleepiness. Placing the glass down, I pulled her between my legs, lying back, deciding the talking wasn't working particularly well. Her soft hair tickled my neck and smelled like ice when she rested her head on my shoulder. This was nice, if I could keep my mouth shut and my eyes closed I might be able to stay like this forever.

She kissed the spot where my neck began and I tried to keep myself relaxed. I was unused to my body responding so strongly to sensation, to jumping from contentment to desire in a moment. I noticed that she seemed distracted, lost in thought almost, but she stayed thankfully still for a few blissful minutes and I could feel my body starting to drift away again. A gentle kiss brought me back to myself. A sigh escaped my lips and I felt her nuzzling my neck, breathing against my skin, making my eyelids flutter.

"Tell me about them." She whispered. I knew what she meant.

I pretended I hadn't heard her, distracted her by bringing her mouth to mine. A mistake I realized too late as she turned herself around, a knee settling between my legs, her body coming against mine fully. I didn't think I would ever be able to talk about something like that out loud. I bit at her lip, lifting my thigh to just barely brush her. Her hands gripped me tighter. I smiled at my victory. She looked at me with glassy blue eyes, trying to appear serious and justified in her question.

She was determined. "Tell me."

"No." I whispered back. She was trailing her fingers up my side, tickling, thumb sliding over my nipple and I gasped a bit. "That's cheating."

"You started it." She said around a smile. "Tell me." She bit at my earlobe and squeezed my breast. I felt her voice like a touch in the deepest part of me. "Please."

"… no." I felt helpless as she pinched me lightly, a tiny moan coming from me. This 'no' had sounded much less firm.

She continued to torture my neck, causing my body to contract, shiver, arch, and I tried desperately to calm my reaction to her lips and hands. "Please…"

"Why?" I wrenched out breathlessly.

"I want to know what you dream Rei" Mina said quietly, earnestly.

I forced my eyes open, my vision slightly hazy and met hers. That blue did something to the inside of me, seemed to pull the breath from my lungs.

"I dream about … you…like this" I whispered, a blush covering my cheeks. She looked at me, her long bangs falling around her face and tilted her head. There was absolutely no way I could finish that thought.

With my hair up, my neck was particularly vulnerable and she took full advantage, sucking at my pulse point.

"AH…Mina…" I felt my hands fly to the edge of the tub. I felt her hand come around the other side of neck, fingers splayed, turning my head to bare even more to her, just like one of those dreams. Her tongue, her lips, her teeth seemed to be each pull a unique sound from me, a new reaction from my body.

"I dream about you too." She whispered kissing along my collarbone, her blonde hair brushing my chin. "Touching you, the taste of you…your kisses…" I felt myself moan softly at her words. She was nipping at my chest as she kept murmuring hushed words against my burning skin. "…your fingers on my back, the sounds you make, your face…" The kisses stopped and her head lifted, a question swimming in her eyes. "Is that what you dream?"

"In my dreams…" I took a deep breath. I wasn't sure I could say anymore. "…I…"

"…what…" she whispered touching my cheek.

"…I lose myself in you." She looked startled by what I had said. So was I. I heard the tremble in my voice when I had spoken. I didn't talk like this with people, I didn't speak my dreams, I didn't deliberately give people power over me. This would have been the time for something sexy or sweet, but instead I said that. I wasn't even sure she could know what I meant with just those words. She stared at me, darkened eyes fixed on some distant point.

"Reiko…" I didn't understand the tone of her voice, or the look on her face, but I understood the feel of her lips on mine. My arms seemed to instantly tangle around her body, which pressed into mine. Time fell out of my mind, lost in the red wine, the hot jasmine scented air, her kisses.

"We should probably get out of the tub." She said into my neck.

"Probably." I agreed, neither of us making a move to actually get up until at least a minute later.

THE BEDROOM:

She was watching me with the strangest look, as if she didn't quite know how to react to me anymore. As we dried ourselves off, I kept catching her looking at me, even as we walked into her bedroom. I sat on the edge of the bed and she followed, sitting beside me. I crossed my arm over my chest, rubbing at my bicep.

"Do you enjoy them?" I was surprised by the question, not really knowing where it came from or what it was in response to. She was looking straight ahead as she asked it and I couldn't read her.

"What?" I asked.

"Your dreams… do you enjoy them?" I didn't know if I had unintentionally hurt her feelings or what, but the seriousness was making this so much more nerve-racking.

"…yes." I answered, incredibly embarrassed.

Her blue eyes turned toward me. "Losing yourself?"

I have never blushed so hard in my entire life, it took everything in me not run full speed out the door. "… maybe those aren't the right words" My face felt like it was on fire. Maybe they were exactly the right words.

"Explain it to me…" She said.

"I don't…" My head was spinning.

"Lay down." She said gently. I went to lie on my back and saw her shake her head. Somewhat cautiously I lied down on my stomach.

Her breath and her hair were driving me crazy with their tickling little caresses. I felt her weight against my back as she leaned down. "Close your eyes." She whispered and I did. "Tell me." She absolutely wasn't going to let this go.

"They aren't like yours. They are all feelings and symbols." I said. "I can only understand the way I feel in them. They might not make sense…"

"Just try." she said. I could feel her body, her breasts drag along my either side of my spine as she kissed her way up my back. Her hands followed up my sides and I moaned softly. Her lips seemed to cover every inch of my skin, my shoulders, the tops of my arms, my neck. It was a strange mixture of calming and exciting.

I took a deep breath in. "They are different. There is one where I'm in the dark, like my eyes are closed, but I know they're not. I can't move my arms from above my head. I know you're there somewhere and I wait." I felt her shiver above me, her hand stroking along the back of my hip. "Then I can feel you on top of me… my body melts into your touch and you … you fall into me like I'm made of water."

"God…" she whispered, lips against my shoulder blade. It helped to not be looking into her eyes. I felt my body shudder in response. "Is that what you dreamt when you called me the other night?"

"No." I felt my face flaming. "I… we were in the shower and the water was steaming hot. I was against the wall and you were leaning into me. You were holding my wrists next to my head". She moved her hands to mimic what I had just described and before I said it she bit my neck. I kept my eyes clenched shut and cried out, surprised to feel the weight on her body holding my wrists firmly down, not painful, but secure. I felt exactly as I had in the dream. I knew that I couldn't tell her I wanted to belong to her, couldn't explain that feeling, not out loud.

As she let me go, I turned, watching her sit back on her heels. Her eyes openly followed the curves of my body and I felt myself blushing but kept my head up. She had that same concentrated look from before.

"What?" I asked.

"Do you trust me?" She said. It was the last thing I would have imagined she would respond with, but she was good at that… catching me completely off guard.

I considered giving her some smart remark, but the unusual seriousness in her face made me forget it. I gave her a curious look. "Yes."

THE DARKNESS:

I followed her with my eyes warily as she went to her closet and pulled out a few things I couldn't recognize in the dim light. Part of me wanted to run immediately.

She sat beside me and smiled down at me, blushing obviously. Reaching over she placed a strand of hair that had fallen in front of my face, behind my ear. Her hand cupped my cheek and she leaned down, bringing her lips to mine. My eyes fell closed and I felt her slip something soft around my head.

"Mina… what…"

"Shh…" She said quietly and I felt her hands behind my head, tying the blindfold. I heard a strange noise, like something sliding across metal and my hands were in hers. She slipped the same soft material over my wrists and I felt my heart start to race.

Her mouth found mine and I could feel her chest where it brushed mine. "Tell me 'no' and I'll stop" she whispered.

"Mina." I had meant to say 'no'. I was trying to say 'no', but that wasn't even close. We were suddenly kissing.

She bit my lip, pulling it slowly with her teeth. I couldn't move my upper body much and though the ties at my wrist didn't hurt, they were tight. I pulled at them subtly wondering if I could get out of them if I wanted to. The angle my arms were at gave me little leverage and the pounding in my chest seemed to increase ten fold. My body was on fire and I wondered what kind of person I was to be enjoying this. Just say 'no'… all I had to do was say 'no'.

A prickling sensation began at my stomach, long paths that left my skin oscillating between warm and cool. I realized it was her fingernails tracing up my body, circling my breasts, and then heat on my nipples. Her mouth, closing around one of them and then teeth. I moaned, straining upward as much as I could, my fists clenching at the air. I felt her groan quietly against my skin. As she nipped at my chest, I felt her hand slide up the side of my neck, thumb brushing my bottom lip. Her other hand followed the curve of my hipbone, over my side and underneath holding me firmly. I could feel her breasts again, dragging across my stomach. I had expected some of the excitement I felt our first time to fade, but I still felt incapable of speech or coherent thought with her body on mine. This new twist I'm sure wasn't helping me any in that area.

I could feel her moving, the shifting weight on the mattress, the soft rustle of fabric. Her hands, lips, and teeth seemed to be everywhere at once, sliding across my skin. My head felt as if it had disconnected from my body, that I was floating in different pieces. I imagined all the things she could do to me like this, all of the things I would let her do. I was embarrassed and excited to mindlessness at the same time.

Her fingertips traced along the crease of my hips, along the inside of my thighs, around and not yet inside me. She straddled my thigh and I felt her press against it while her lips traced the underside of my breasts. If she didn't touch me soon I was pretty sure I would go crazy.

"Mina…"

"Hmm?" I felt her voice against my chest as she stroked two fingers along the outside of me.

Somehow I knew what she was waiting for and I felt the blood in my cheeks as I whispered. "Please…"

She moved against me as she touched me, slipped her fingers inside me. I held my lip between my teeth, my cries muffled as her fingers moved deep inside me. I couldn't really lift my hips much with her weight on my leg but that seemed only to drive the intensity I was feeling. I let her voice filter through my mind, the sounds that poured from her falling into my skin, imagined the look on her face while she watched me. I followed her movements as much as I could. When I felt her clench her thighs around my leg, gasping... it pulled me right over the edge.

THE CONFESSION:

I felt her untie my arms and they fell by my side. She pushed the blindfold off and I looked into her concerned eyes. "Rei… I mean… was that…"

She was kneeling above me, looking to the side, worried. "It was…" I said sitting up a bit, my head resting just below her chin, our bodies facing each other. I didn't know what to say about what we just did really. I wrapped my arms around her back and rested my head against her collarbone, feeling her sink down against my legs. She seemed to relax and I felt her rest her chin against the top of my head.

"Yeah." She agreed, a hint of a laugh in her breathless voice. I felt her reach behind her back and take my hands, and then slowly bring them up to lay a gentle kiss on the inside of each of my wrists. I was melting. I could see it in her eyes…she wanted to say it again, that she was in love with me, but she stopped herself. I had never answered her the first time.

"Minako…I…" I swallowed. "I love you…" When I told her before I didn't think we had a choice, I meant it. Whatever we called this, whatever feelings, there was no stopping it now. Maybe it was destiny... and love.

END.


	4. Impossible Creatures

ONE NIGHT IV: IMPOSSIBLE CREATURES

MINAKO'S POV

DISCLAIMER: This will retroactively apply to this entire series, but Minako and Rei do not belong to me, only the circumstances in which they find themselves.

THE PLANE:

I rested my head against the window of the plane, remembering bits from two nights ago. Lucid scraps and flashes… covering my mouth with my hand, as if it could keep everything I was feeling safely inside me. I wanted to keep her, to tuck her away…

She loved me. I had been waiting for what seemed like forever… wondering if she had answer…if it was better I didn't hear it… but she loved me too. I didn't know what to do next because there was never a next with us, only moments. Outside of her heart bursting confession, there was also the fact that I had tied Hino Rei to my bed and blindfolded her…that she had let me, that I had liked it, that she had liked it, that I had even thought of it the first place because of those dreams. I couldn't process a single one of those things, let alone all of them. It still made my heart race to think about.

"Minako…"

"Hmm?"

"Are you alright?" I looked over at my assistant. She was sitting across from me, glasses on the tip of her nose, probably checking my appointments and appearances. It had taken forever to get her to call me by my first name.

I flashed her my famous smile. "Just tired"

She didn't look convinced. "Can I get you something eat? You must be hungry…" I hadn't eaten anything yet today, never was hungry in the morning.

"Sure."

"What would you like?" Whenever I was tired I just wanted sugar, but I could picture the look she would give me…fine, you win miko. "Some fruit would be nice and some water."

Sara's head tilted a bit and she smiled at me almost warily. "Of course." I would need to work out when I got to which ever hotel I was staying in. It had been a few days. I'm sure my trainer had cooked up some 2-hour nightmare by now.

A tray of grapes and melon slid in front of me with a cool glass. "Would you like me to clear some time when we arrive? Maybe enough for a nap?" I heard her ask as she sat back down.

I knew she worried about me. That she knew I didn't sleep as much or as well as I needed to, but she never pushed. I would love to take a nap especially if I could have her with me… but there was no time and there was no Rei. "No, no. I'm fine. We'll be heading back to Japan in two months, I'll sleep then." I joked.

She shook her head at me. "You should try and rest, there are a few more hours till we land… but it's nice you have something to look forward to… going home I mean." I watched her looking out the window. I wondered if she was still seeing that same guy. "Did you at least get the chance to have some fun before you left?"

"I always like going home." The reasons for that had changed… or had they? Maybe I wasn't being honest with myself. I took a piece of melon, happy to find it cold and ripe. It was no starburst, but I could deal.

We were headed to Sara's home a month after we hit Japan. She had grown up in some small town I'd never heard of in a place called Montana. It sounded crazy when she described it…to be so far away from everyone else and everything else. It wasn't on the tour, but I didn't feel right about her missing the chance to go home.

Just like the last time I left, I had wanted to beg Rei to come with me, but I didn't want to seem…crazy? Desperate? Either. She was the one who brought it up; suggested she should visit me on tour sometime. I kept myself from asking if now was too soon. We had decided to meet in a month… while I would be in Cambodia. I knew I was smiling too much right now, that we were…whatever we were, still didn't seem possible. I dropped my sunglasses over my eyes and tried to fall asleep, hoping she would follow me into my dreams.

THE PICTURE:

As soon as a turned on my phone I received way too many text messages most of which were from Usa. I felt my heart drop into my stomach as I read the first one… and I felt sick reading the last.

_Usa: y didn_'_t u tell me u were here?_

_Usa: r u and Rei-chan dating?!_

_Usa: y wouldn_'_t u tell me that?_

_Usa: Rei won_'_t pick up her phone! What a meanie!_

_Usa: How long?!_

_Ruka: I knew it_…

_Usa: OMG this is so exciting!_

_Usa: And totally romantic_…_ I can_'_t believe it! :D_

_Usa: I_'_m still mad at u though_…

_Usa: Where r u?_

_Usa: MINA CALL ME!_

_Mako: There_'_s a pic of u and Rei-chan floating all over the place_…_ they are making out like you two are an item_…

I also had 3 voicemails from you know who, one from my publicist, and one from my manager. I was immediately on my phone scrolling through pictures on the web and there it was. Rei and I were sitting in the park, my head cuddled up in the crook of her neck, hers turned down, hair covering just enough to hide most of her face. Some ridiculous part of me wanted to smile at how good we looked together and I nearly slapped myself. Headlines scrolled across the mini screen…"Mina's new mystery girl"… "Pop star's brunette beauty"… "Dating again: Mina's new love" oh god. How could I have been so stupid… to think I could just waltz around, pretending like I didn't get followed everywhere. I was instantly panicked at the thought that they might be able to figure out who she was… that they would swarm the shrine. I wasn't careful at all, I got caught up. I didn't care if the world knew but Rei was intensely private, she wouldn't want this… who would? I felt like I had violated this thing between us…and I had no time to fix it.

Sara looked my way as her phone blew up as well. "Mina…"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw a flash go off and then photographers seemed to explode from the walls.

"MINA… over here"

"Who's the girl?"

"What's her name?"

"ARE YOU IN LOVE?" I walked fast, trying not to run, keeping my head down. This was terrible… I slammed the car door, seeing them still snapping away. I forgot what it was like every time they thought I met someone. I had been laying low until… Rei… she was probably ready to kill me. I would be. I let this happen, because why? I wasn't thinking, I never think. I wanted to cry, I never felt like that before….not with any part of being famous. The cameras, in the beginning I had even liked it… but suddenly they seemed to be ripping away pieces of my life that mattered… taking my beautiful secret and hauling it out into the light.

"Mina… I'm sorry." Sara said.

"Did you recognize her?" I asked. They had met once before, only for a minute, but Rei makes a memorable first impression… that worked against her in this case.

"…yes." Of course she did.

"This is bad." I whispered to no one. I hoped to whatever or whoever was listening I hadn't ruined anything. I needed a minute alone to call her, to try and calm the storm in my belly.

THE PHONE CALL:

She hadn't answered. I had already called her twice… once before the brutalizing my trainer called a workout and once after. I had tried to take a nap, but I couldn't sleep. My sound check was in less than an hour. Sara wasn't even around to distract me because I had told her I needed some time as soon as we got to the hotel. I hadn't seen her in almost five hours. I stared at my cell phone for a full minute, trying not to throw up or scream. I wanted to call her again… I was going insane not hearing from her. I couldn't believe how … stupid, there wasn't a better word, just stupid...maybe I was blowing this all out of proportion, maybe she was busy. I needed calm down. Taking a deep breath I reached for my cell, jumping about a mile when it vibrated…Usa.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN! I've been trying to call you for hours!"

"I was on a plane."

"…Mina…how could you not tell me?" I heard the near sob in her voice… we had always told each other everything, but no one else knew about this besides Sara. My assistant had been the only one who saw us alone together, saw me afterward. My face I'm sure, said it all because she somehow just knew.

"Usa… we … " what could I say that wasn't a lie? "It's kinda new."

"Oh my god! When? Mina… I'm so happy for you two! We need to get together… "

"No… I mean… I don't…"

She paused as soon as she heard the seriousness in my voice. "Mina-chan, are you okay?"

"Do they know it's Rei?" I asked.

"Who?"

"The magazines, have they said her name anywhere?" I felt my stomach turn inside out.

"No. They're calling her your 'mystery girl.' It's super romantic." At least I could breathe again.

"That's good."

I still couldn't believe I hadn't thought this would happen "What about Rei?"

"I thought you would know."

"What do you mean?"

"She's been totally ignoring me. I thought…" I guess not… she didn't want to talk to me either.

"Usa… I have a concert in a few hours. Can I call you tomorrow?"

"Only if you promise you will!"

"I will."

"Mina?"

"Hm?"

"Don't be sad okay? She'll understand…" I smirked a little through my misery. I wasn't so sure she would. This was such a strange, indefinable thing between us… it seemed so fragile… I didn't know how to even begin keeping it together… but if it fell apart… if I let it… I didn't know.

Imagining myself strutting around on stage as if I my heart wasn't shriveling to nothing inside my chest seemed like crazy talk. I wanted to just cancel the show, forget it… hop a plane and fix whatever damage I caused. I knew I couldn't, but some part of my brain, that part that takes pleasure in making you feel like a terrible person, whispered that I was making a choice. I found myself wondering if it was true… if I was actually drawing a line in the sand right now. It was the first time I had even thought about quitting… about something else being more important to me. This had always been my dream, the thing I wanted most. Abandoning my fans wasn't something I would have ever thought would cross my mind, I couldn't. Besides I didn't even know where she was, what she felt… I'd be running right into the cameras like some desperate girlfriend, pointing the paparazzi in the right direction. There were no good choices…god I hated that.

THE WAIT:

I finished my last song, holding my microphone up toward the sky. All I could hear were my fans screaming and all could see were lights flashing. At the end my audience and I always seemed to be feeling the same thing, a joy that was like nothing else in the world. In those last few moments being on stage, I felt connected to them, one of them, like we were cheering for something else, something bigger than all of this. I blew them one last kiss and made my exit, wiping the sweat from my forehead. It had been nice to pretend for a few hours that I hadn't... no time for that. I rushed back to my dressing room, nearly running to find my phone… by now she had to have responded. It had been 12 hours since I heard from her. I had texted her to tell her I wouldn't be done until late… the time difference between us was huge… she would be 12 hours ahead of me. I almost collapsed when there was no message. My costume and make-up people finally caught up with me in my dressing room. They were all huffing and puffing…they must have run down the hall to find me. I want to shove them out, to lock the door and dissolve into the mess I felt like inside, even if they were my friends. A few messages from Sara were there but I couldn't bring myself to check them.

"Minako-san, so sorry to chase after you…but, let us help you get that off…" My make-up artist spoke first. Misa had been with me from the start. We were close; I trusted her in the same way I trusted my assistant. I saw the questioning look in her eyes… I needed to be okay, everything is okay.

"But I wanted to keep this one." I pouted, cracking that smile, all white teeth and laughing eyes. It was almost painful.

"Mina… you were fabulous tonight." Rich said, working at the buttons that held this outfit together. "But you can't steal this, it took me forever to make." The pins held between his lips muffled his expressive voice. I normally would have giggled, but I couldn't seem to force it.

"So much emotion…" Misa said, as she nearly chiseled off my eye make-up. I felt her subtly squeeze my hand. She knew I was upset and I tried to reassure her with a quick look, but I could see she wasn't convinced. Emotion was easy. I had more than I could stand at the moment. I thanked them for their kindness, barely able to hold it together through greeting my fans, through the throngs of people shouting their love, for the ride back to my hotel. There was only one explanation at this point. She saw the picture and decided she couldn't do this. She blamed me, and with good reason. She'd probably never speak to me again. I had to steel myself for seeing her, knowing that this entire thing fell pieces because I was such an idiot. When my door closed behind me and that empty sounding click echoed in the perfect white of my ultra modern room, I lost it. I must have checked my phone 800 times…nothing except Sara again which was so disappointing I threw my phone across the backseat like a child throwing a temper tantrum. I felt awful for ignoring her. It was her job to keep track of me, but I wasn't myself. Sad I could do, angry I could do, but this not knowing, this overwhelming anxiousness… I just cried and cried… embarrassed, scared, sinking and heartsick. When I finally stopped, I hauled myself up, tearing off my clothes like I hated them and lay on my side in the silly square bed. I didn't want to look at myself in the mirror, I felt ugly and lost. I placed the phone beside my nightstand, I turned the volume up all the way and I stared at it, trying to force it to ring, until exhaustion took me.

I opened my eyes, feeling as though each lid weighed about thirty pounds. I was sure I looked like hell, I felt like it. I kept waking up, thinking I had heard a noise, checking the phone to find a blank screen. It was 8:30 in the morning here, which meant it was 8:30 at night in Tokyo. I had to call Usagi or she'd never let me be. As it was I didn't have my second show for 11 hours and I planned to spend most of them in the dark, hiding under my blanket and hoping this was all some sort of nightmare.

"Mina!"

"Usa…"

"You sound awful. Are you sick?"

"No…"

"Oh Minako…she hasn't…" She didn't finish her sentence…she didn't need to.

"She hasn't talked to you?"

"No… it's like she disappeared."

"No pictures?" I was sure the photographers had camped out all night in Tokyo, waiting for a glimpse or a clue. Worry started to build inside me. I hated feeling helpless…and right now I was absolutely and completely powerless to do anything. I didn't even know what needed to be done.

"None…they are saying she's some famous model or something." I half-laughed half-sobbed. "Mina-chan… I'm gonna let you go so you can sleep, ne? I'm sure everything will work out."

"Yeah."

"It will." I sighed. I found it hard to believe in anything right now.

How had things gone from thinking of her on a plane to this? Not hearing from her was causing me physical pain, like someone was boring into me, digging a hole straight through me. I wanted to yell out loud, as loud as I could to make her hear me. Where are you? Why aren't you talking to me? She couldn't at least tell me what was going on? Had I really made this so bad she was outright ignoring me? I forced myself up and dug through my bag until I found the sleeping pills I never used. If I was going to perform tonight…which I had to really… I needed to rest at least for a little while. Reluctantly, I swallowed two down. I grabbed my computer and scoured the web for pictures while I waited for them to kick in. There was just that one of us in the park and then speculation that I was dating everyone from famous athletes to DJs to one of my backup dancers. I was nauseas. I wondered if I should have listened to myself before Ami's wedding, that I had no right to ask her to be a part of any of this in the first place. My body itself was rebelling against the combination of jet lag and emotional overload… I suddenly felt incredibly sleepy.

THE VISITOR:

I woke up to a strange smell, one I remembered but couldn't place, almost floral. I opened my eyes, which felt slightly less swollen. Looking up, I saw what I knew must be a dream standing by the window, a hot cup of jasmine tea held in both hands.

"Surprise." She said flatly. I stared at her.

"Rei?" My voice was shaking. "How…"

She smirked at me, probably because I looked like a train wreck, but I immediately lost control and started sobbing. Her eyebrows nearly shot off her face and in a second she was by my side clearly startled.

"Mina?" She tried, obviously having no idea what to do with me. I didn't know what to do with me.

"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean for this to happen I…" Oh my god, was that even my voice? Did it really just crack?

"For what to happen?" She asked, sounding confused and slightly panicked.

"All of this, the cameras, the picture… I…" She backed away just enough to look at me.

"What are you talking about?" I sniffled a bit, realizing I was still totally naked and trying to regain some of my lost dignity. I pulled the sheet around myself, knocking my computer to the side… apparently I had fallen asleep with it on my lap.

"The picture of us… the one in all the magazines… " There was no recognition on her face as I tried to explain. How could she not know? "You didn't… I texted you and called you…"

"My phone is dead… I didn't bring my charger when I stayed with you… I haven't been able to turn it on…then the plane ride…" She spoke in a monotone that instantly scared me.

"How did you get here?"

"Sara helped."

"What?"

"You gave all of us her number way back…" Still that same quiet voice. Those texts I never read… "You said I could trust her."

"But… "

"…I wanted to get you back for surprising me…"

"I'm…" My brain couldn't seem to wrap itself around the words she was saying.

"It was the only way I could think of to keep you from paying for my ticket…" I would be fixing that later.

"But it takes over a day to fly here…"

"I know, I left the day after you did….early in the morning." She was speaking barely above a whisper. "Do they know who I am?"

"No."

She said nothing as she sat next to me. I heard her sigh; saw her set her jaw and I wanted to hide, to burrow inside the bed. She steepled her fingers, resting them on the bridge of her nose, elbows on her thighs. This was all my fault. I had been so careless.

"… Usa must be going crazy." Her fingers slipped down her face a bit, dragging at her bottom lip. My mind was going a mile a minute, coming up with all of the terrible things she would say, all the words that would cut me in two. My lungs felt like someone was pulling down on each one as I struggled to breathe. I had expected her to be angry, furious, maybe hurt. Not quiet… thoughtful. It made the skin on the top of my head tingle, like my nervousness was a living thing, running over me. "I'm not shocked I guess… it does get kinda hard to ignore the fact that your face is…" I glanced sideways and her eyes met mine for a second before she finished. "Everywhere."

"Are you…mad at me?" I had to ask. I rubbed at my arm as I waited.

She didn't answer right away. There was something in her expression almost like the question bothered her, hurt her feelings, but the look was gone in an instant. "No."

"I wanted to keep you a secret." I whispered.

"A secret?" She looked at me strangely, as if she didn't know how to respond, as if she wasn't sure how to take that. I wasn't saying the right things at all.

"I didn't want you to have to deal with all of this... It isn't fair." I wouldn't cry again, I had cried enough. The embarrassment I felt for my meltdown was keeping me right on the edge of breaking down again. "I … got caught up." I added.

Silence filled the room and she looked down at her feet as if they had answers. She never knew what to say, was hyperconscious of it I knew, I actually found it adorable…usually. I didn't want to want to change her, but I wanted her to say something, anything to take away the feeling that I was suffocating. It seemed like forever before she turned to look at me with those deep violet eyes. "I think we both did… " My heart finally fell back into place when she blushed. Her response … and those eyes… I still was.

I wanted to explain myself…but how could I put in to words my life, what it was like, what I was afraid it would do to her? to us?

She leaned in slowly and I met her the rest of the way. I wanted to crawl into her lap the second our lips met. We pulled back, both watching each other. A look I couldn't place painted her face until a slow grin broke out in the corner of her mouth. I was confused. "Mina… you are such a mess right now…" She said, shaking her head and wiping the corner of my eye with her thumb. Tears were still waiting for something else to go wrong apparently. She eyed me almost shyly, as she touched my face with the back of her hand.

"I guess I should probably take a shower…" I said, my breath hitting her fingers.

"Good idea." She whispered, dropping her arm. I pretended to be offended and stuck out my tongue, walking off toward the bathroom in a make-believe huff. Now if I could only get my heart to stop pounding.

THE SHOWER:

The hot water felt amazing and I let it roll down my back, trying to wash away the emotion that was still coursing through me. I had been on edge for so many hours now, unable to sleep really, and I couldn't seem to calm down. I had texted Sara, diffused that situation. Everything seemed to be okay. I was slowly letting go of the nightmare I had carved out of pure emotion, letting the things I had spent last night convincing myself were true fall away. Now there was the excitement of her here, actually here with me, nibbling at my nerves. Had I even told her I was happy she came in the midst of all my humiliating craziness? I clenched my eyes shut, trying to will myself to relax.

I heard her walk in, putting something on the vanity across from me. It was directly opposite the shower. It seemed like every fancy hotel had glass showers. I heard her turn on the faucet, washing her face probably. A large double mirror extended almost half the length of the room. I wondered if she would watch me, if she would be tempted. If it was the other way around, I would… but Rei was more polite than I was on my best day. I concentrated through the sound of the running water, listening for little noises, little cues, glad for somewhere to direct my energy. She was definitely washing her face… probably keeping her eyes down deliberately.

My mind began murmuring things to me, letting them bounce around inside my skull. I tried to control the thoughts as they popped up, tried to push them down, to focus on washing myself, which was doing nothing for my self-control anyway. I imagined her taking off her clothes slowly, seeing just the flashes of color, suggestive shapes through the heat. I could even hear the sounds in my head, of cloth hitting the tiled floor. I imagined her opening the glass, stepping into the shower and her dark hair covered her face, her chest. I pictured what she had described in that breathless voice, her trapped beneath me… pinning her to the wall, holding her wrists by her head, my lips on her neck. I tilted my head back to rinse the conditioner, while the noises I knew she would make grabbed at my insides. My hand followed the curve of my own neck. I heard her take a towel from the ring, the distinctive sliding of fabric against metal. I wondered if I was taking this too far, envisioning my thigh between hers, our breasts touching and the hot water between us… always running over us.

"I felt a little gross after the plane ride." Her quiet voice startled me. I opened my eyes to see her stepping into the shower with me, rubbing at her arm, covering her chest, nervous. She was seriously considering that I might not be okay with her joining me?

I thought about making a joke, but instead I reached my hand out, pulling her to me, nuzzling into her neck. She hesitated for a second before wrapping her arms around me. I whispered against her skin, "I'm giving you money for the plane ticket."

I felt her smirk against my forehead. "Go ahead and try." I sighed. Despite my thoughts from before, I didn't want anything more. In this moment, just her body touching mine, her here, was perfect. I lifted my head enough to kiss her, draping my arms over her shoulders, the water hitting our sides, falling between us.

THE MAKEOVER:

"Mina's new toy?" She said to no one, staring at the laptop. "They make me sound like some kind of lovesick puppy."

I didn't answer, but I had a hard time keeping the grin from my face.

"Model, athlete, celebrity… make up your minds!" She grumbled, clicking away. "There is only that one picture, how the hell can they tell anything? You can't even see my face!"

I climbed up on the bed, lying on my stomach next to where she sat propped against the headboard, shooting the computer death stares. "At least they have no idea who you are." I chimed in, playfully. She was adorable when she got all worked up.

"True. Though I'm sure grandpa would be having a field day with all those reporters at the shrine."

"Especially if they were young female reporters." I laughed. She rolled her eyes.

"So have any of our friends…"

"Yeah…" I said, somewhat nervous.

"Who?"

"Well Mako-chan was super polite about it, basically just telling me the picture was out there."

She smiled a bit at that. I knew she had always appreciated the other woman for being so respectful.

"Nothing from Ami-chan. Ruka said she knew it." Rei scoffed, but grinned. "I figured she did, after she texted me that pic of you from Rini's birthday..."

"What picture? How many pictures of me are there floating around that I don't know about?"

I smirked at her. "Pink frosting looks good on you..." She almost growled.

"What about Usa.."

I took a deep breath in. "Totally flipped and then wouldn't stop talking about how romantic it was."

She shook her head. "Maybe I shouldn't go home… I don't even wanna turn on my phone."

I smiled. "Usagi is definitely scarier than paparazzi. I'm sure no reporter is gonna guess I'm dating a Shinto priestess anyway." As the words left my mouth, I realized it was the first time we had named this, dating… did that make her my girlfriend? I was almost afraid to look at her. I kept my head down, trying to act as though I hadn't said anything totally presumptuous. We weren't doing things in the usual order. First we were best friends, then I fell in love, then we slept together, and then we admitted we loved each other, now I wasn't sure… but we might be able to call this dating. If we were dating, then she was my girlfriend. I could feel the stupid smile on my face almost immediately.

"Not with your reputation." She teased, and then eyed me suspiciously. "What?"

"Usa's right, you are a meanie." That eyebrow lifted and her lips tightened. I couldn't tell if she was just pretending or partly serious. Sitting up, I moved the small computer to the side table and straddled her lap.

"A meanie?" She repeated, violet eyes meeting mine, speeding my heartbeat.

I nodded. "Sometimes…but I like it." I said, repeating her words from the last time we were together, kissing her again. She was reluctant at first, trying to hold onto the game we were playing, but she let go quickly. I couldn't seem to get enough of her lips, the sighs, her eyelids falling closed. Her fingertips slid beneath my shirt, running over my stomach, tracing my ribs. I was floating and anchored all at once. I tried to calm myself, not take this further, just enjoy the feeling of it, her arms around me. She was the one that eventually pulled away, both us breathing noticeably heavier.

"When do you have to leave?" She asked.

"…like 10 minutes." Her head fell against my shoulder. "I have to go to an after-party too…"

She glanced up at me. "Have to?" She grumbled.

"Have to." I answered, trying not smile at the whine in her voice. "Come with me…"

She opened her eyes, they were dark and hazy, and my stomach flipped. "How?" She asked. How… she couldn't be seen, the only option was to disguise her. I had a few wigs with me…but Rich and Misa would take care of it if I asked. They'd do a way better job than me. I smiled, this would be fun.

"No."

"What?"

"Mina…"

"What?" I asked even more innocently this time.

"No. You're not making me a blonde." That would be interesting.

THE LIMO:

I had to make an incredible effort to stay focused during my concert. There were throngs of people sporting backstage passes waiting in the wings and I had no idea what she might look like now. It was strangely exciting to know she could be watching me and without me being able to tell. I had left Rei in Sara hands. I knew she'd make sure she got over to Rich and Misa quietly. I didn't even see her until I was in the limo heading off to whatever nightclub was hosting the party. When I stepped in, I saw her sitting, looking out the window, long fingers resting on the glass. She was herself and not at all herself. Her hair, I couldn't tell if it was a wig or not, was styled with lighter strands, just little more brown than her own, running through it. It hung loose and slightly wavy, a few locks falling in front of her face. Misa, being the genius that she was, had highlighted and contoured in a way that made her look like she could be any number of people depending on the angle. When she turned her eyes my way, I noticed they were a different shade, a caramel brown. I had never changed my eye color, blue was common enough, but hers was so unique. It was a convincing disguise. Her outfit was perfect, as though it had been lifted off the page of a magazine. Rich was good at that. She looked stunning, important, famous, like someone people should know. As beautiful as she was, I had mixed feelings about seeing her like this. It just wasn't my Rei…

She broke me out of my thoughts. "These contacts are terrible."

"Itchy?"

"Yes" She sighed.

"Is that your hair?" I reached out; it certainly felt like it.

"Temporary color and a curling iron."

"Wow."

She smirked at me. "I do like the dress though."

I looked down at her legs, long muscles flexed lightly as she crossed them. We were alone in this limo. When I lifted my eyes back to hers, there was an expression on her face that was familiar, but only because I still didn't know what it meant.

She glanced at me warily. "Do I even want to know what you're thinking?"

"I could describe it to you." I said as casually as I could manage.

She blushed a bit, and shot me a look, which I noticed wasn't nearly as intense with the contacts. "Where are we going anyway?"

"Just a nightclub. One of the new girls from my label is gonna do a small show there." I was realizing she was nervous about this.

"I don't go to places like that much." She said. I didn't think she did really, maybe here and there, but I wouldn't guess it was something she loved to do. That is what scared me about our lives, the idea that they might not mesh, that the edges would be too different to fit.

"It's more promo than for fun." I explained.

She was tracing her fingers across the stitching in the leather seat. "But you do still have fun…"

"Most of the time… do you not want to go?" I wanted her with me, but not if it meant she'd be miserable. Actually, I wanted to take her back to the hotel…

"No I'm okay with going…"

I was guessing that the idea of being crammed between all those gyrating bodies wasn't very appealing to her. "You don't have to dance."

"It's not the dancing I'm worried about…" She responded in a way I didn't quite know how to take, but instantly set my mind working. Did that mean there was even a chance she'd be dancing with me? I didn't want to get my hopes up.

"Okay…"

She seemed frustrated with herself. "… nevermind. I'm being stupid." In fairness, she had warned me she was difficult… but, weren't we all?

"You sure?"

"Yes." She was being deliberately evasive, which meant if I pushed her, she would get angry or upset. I had to leave it alone, but leaving it alone was not something I did well. It took more self-restraint than I liked having to use. I couldn't let her know I noticed either, then she'd feel guilty. I wondered if she felt any of this watching me have a complete mental break when she first arrived. It had surprised her yes, but it hadn't shaken her, not the way it had my boyfriends. Understanding something that made so little sense, really didn't take away from how bizarre it was from the outside. We really are impossible creatures.

THE CLUB:

"Are you going to say anything to them?" She asked, slightly irritated, whether it was at me or at them or at both of us I couldn't tell. The photographers outside the club had shaken her, so she was extra irritated with the group of well dressed men staring at as from across the room.

I gave her an amused look, sipping at my drink. "I don't think me telling them that we're together would convince them to stop staring."

She huffed, and then stared at me with those strange brown eyes, not me… my drink. "What is that?"

"Something called Fernet and Coke…the owners sent us a round of them." I didn't particularly like it, but I was being gracious, apparently it was popular in Argentina. I was usually a cosmo girl, even if it was cliché. She hadn't touched a drop of alcohol all night. My manager. The tour manager and the rest of our crew were an entirely different story. Oddly enough, I drank the least of all of us, besides our bodyguards. If things went as they usually did, it would be time for shots soon enough. "Do you want to try it?"

I handed it to her and she brought it to her mouth. "It smells like cough syrup."

"Is that a no?" She watched me and took the tiniest taste I had ever seen, followed by a wince she tried desperately to hide. "Do you want something else?" I asked. Taking a few big swigs, she shook her head. I didn't really know what was bothering her, but I knew something was. In the background, I could hear the performance starting.

Making a typically grand entrance, Rich all but threw himself onto the couch beside us. "She looks a-mazing right? Fantastic canvas." He slung his arm around her, apparently they bonded. "What's with the sour face honey? Contacts still bothering you?"

"They're awful."

"Take them out… no one can tell the difference with these lights." He waved his hand dismissively.

"Why not just give her sunglasses in the first place?" I asked. I caught Misa's gaze from where she was leaning on a nearby beam. She shrugged, pointing at the stylist.

"They matched her hair perfectly, Mina… it completed the look. They just popped against that dress." I covered my mouth, trying to hide a laugh, as Rei's eyes nearly rolled out of her head.

"Here, let me help." My make-up artist knelt in front of her. "Look up."

"Kami, that's better." She sighed in relief, blinking rapidly, and smiling a bit for the first time since we arrived.

A tray of some clear, amber colored shots appeared the table in front of us. He looked down at my, well Rei's drink. I was surprised to see that it was half gone. "This isn't working." It was set down on the table. "Mina, you're not taking care of this girl!" He shot me a look of disapproval. Rei was watching him the way you would watch a wild animal... awed, but wary.

"What are those Richard?" I asked.

"Tequila." I wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not.

She looked at me, those eyes I loved seeing straight into me. "Rei…?" I questioned. I never drank the rounds that seemed to pass by endlessly. I preferred to build a slow buzz at my happy little pace. Were we really doing this? Picking up a glass she tossed it back, shuddering a bit. I heard Rich's high pitched squeal of delight as she placed the empty shot glass down… I guess so.

"I love this girl!" He laughed. Me too, I added silently. A tiny glass slid across the wood. I was tempted to suggest a body shot, but if she was worried about the attention she was receiving before, that wasn't going to help. I stared at the liquid as it settled. One shot wasn't going to kill me...blech... or was it? God… even the best tequila tasted like fire to me.

"Minako-san!" I turned to look behind me. "There are some people I think you should meet." My manager waved me over. I caught her eyes briefly and she gave me a small nod. This was not at all what I wanted to be doing right now, leaving her here. With a deep breath, I stood up, throwing on my best smile and followed him back to the group of men in suits. My acting was much more convincing than I thought it would be, given that I kept peeking over at her and my friends. I watched the three of them acting silly, enjoying the fact that she no longer looked so down. It stung that it wasn't my doing. I threw myself into the game, laughing when I needed to, responding with loose commitments, compliments no one really meant, promises made with no intention to keep them. It all seemed so fake and silly right now. I kept turning the same idea over in my mind...that this was all too much, that she'd say she couldn't do it, didn't want it. I was happy when their attention turned toward the stage, the flashing lights and sounds, a fresh face to fawn over. My manager was deep in selling his new talent when I made my escape.

I sat back down, next to her, noticing another few shot glasses, now empty, in front of her. I was a little concerned.

"Done romancing the suits?" Rich asked me, resting his chin on his hands.

"I hope so." I giggled.

"My turn then." He laughed.

"I need another drink!" Misa pouted at him. He was up in an instant, strutting off toward the bar. I nodded a thank you, and she rolled her eyes good-naturedly at him.

I turned my head and noticed she was watching me. "I was nervous about coming tonight." She said.

"I know." Her thumb ran along her bottom lip as she spoke, it was completely subconscious, but I couldn't take my eyes off it. I imagined it running along my own.

"Because I'm not much of drinker."

"Neither am I." I said. "I can never keep up." As if on cue, another round of shouts erupted from off to our left. "You must be so bored..."

"Mina, your friends have been very nice...but" She glanced to the side, her forehead wrinkling, and then looked at me guiltily. "I think I'm a little drunk." I felt my chest tighten a bit.

It was apparently difficult for her to do anything I didn't find endearing. "A little is okay Reiko"

She leaned over, placing her hand on my thigh lightly, whispering into my ear. "I wanna dance with you." It seemed she was still in control of her body.

I turned my head to see her face. "You do?"

She nodded, taking my hand and leading me to the smaller dance floor up in the VIP section. I had never seen Rei dance. She'd never come with Usa, Mako, and me when we would sneak off. I felt strangely nervous when she put her hands on me. Her dress, her body rubbing against me… and those violet-eyes... I wasn't sure I was ready for this. I found myself wishing I had taken another drink, something to calm me down. The way her muscles shifted, smooth and quick beneath her skin, the way the fabric of her dress slid across it… I lost myself quickly, forgetting all the things that had been biting at my brain… let the dim light, the heavy bass, the heat of her surround me. It took all that had not to kiss her, to steal her off to some dark corner when her eyelids fluttered. I could tell by the way she was breathing it was affecting her too. By the time we stopped, I was sure my blood had turned into pure electricity.

THE HOTEL:

The ride back to the hotel was awkward in a way that I usually would have enjoyed. All of us piled into the limo, no one who drove able to drive back...but she was sitting so close, I could feel the warmth of her skin. She was still a bit tipsy, touching me too much, too long, not seeming to notice. My heart was still beating fast as I thought about her dancing, us dancing. It was like I could finally breathe again when the door to my room clicked shut, when it was just the two of us.

I turned around just the bathroom door shut.

I took off my shoes moving into the bedroom to take off my jewelry. As she walked in, she peeled off her dress and stepped out of her shoes. She was wearing a deep purple push-up bra and a pair of matching...god...she was so incredibly... I watched her as she looked up at me, face scrubbed clean, looking like herself again. She came close, until our faces were only a few inches apart.

"Mina?" I felt the vibration of her voice against my lips. A blush covered me from cheek to toes as I turned my eyes up to hers. "Kiss me..." She said, low and almost pleading. I brought my mouth to hers gently, letting my hand slide up her neck, into her hair, thumb brushing her earlobe. She moaned softly into the kiss, a sound that twisted and twirled around me.

She undressed me, slowly, carefully as though she were unwrapping a present, never removing the rest of her clothes. I sat back against the pillows propped up in front of the headboard, her parting my legs, kneeling between them. This didn't seem real, like a dream I was having, but then her mouth was on my ear and the sensations came pouring in, wonderful and so very solid.

I moaned, heard myself, barely recognizing my voice, as she bit my neck, hand on my breast, squeezing. My insides were churning as she moved against me, slow and sensual, as if we were still dancing. I found it hard to imagine that this was the same girl, that only days before, I had tied to my bedpost. I gripped her shoulders, her hair as she curled her back, her tongue wrapping around my nipple. My eyes snapped shut, little sounds tore from my throat as her breath blew across my wet skin, her hand at my hipbone. She kissed me as her fingers stroked me, slid inside me, her tongue caressing mine as I gasped. I felt my skin flush as she touched me, my body following her lead, her mouth never leaving mine. I put my palm on her wrist... because I could feel my heartbeat everywhere in my body, because once was all I could take tonight. As she pulled back I caught my breath and she touched my cheek, her eyes questioning. I felt myself blush as I nodded, my throat tightening as a small, shy smile broke across her face.

"Reiko..." I gently pushed her onto her back, my hands running over every delicious curve of her body. I kissed along her pulse point, feeling it move beneath my lips, whispering to her whatever came into my head to say. Reaching behind her, I unhooked her bra, pulling it from her body. I let my fingers trail over her chest, circling, watching as her nipples swelled, bending my head to flick my tongue over each one. I traced the side of each breast with my lips, enjoying her hands in my hair. I had never felt the kind of deep pleasure I got from touching her... as if my body was the only way for me to tell her I loved her, as if I felt what she did.

My lips trailed down her legs, kissing every piece of skin I could find, taking as much time as I could stand to. Her calves were incredibly soft, her fists clenching as I tasted the backs of her knees. Her hand slipped down, lower than her navel and I knew it was starting to become too much. Her eyes opened wide as I took her hand and slid it back up her body, a groan tumbling out. Her breath was fast and uneven as I nipped at her inner thigh. Running both my hands along the tops of hips, I looped my fingers in the band of her underwear, removing the last barrier between us. I watched her face, her parted lips. I held her as I ran my tongue along the length of her. She cried out…like she had the first night we were together and it did exactly the same thing to me. Our eyes locked as my lips barely floated across the most sensitive part of her. Even when she pulled me to her, I didn't stop, touching her until she was trembling, until her hips jumped, a sound I'd never heard her make before shooting right through me.

"Come here" She whispered, breathlessly, reaching for me as small tremors still ran through her. I rested my head on her chest, listening to the pounding of her heart, wrapping myself around her. Her eyes were still closed, when she spoke. "I'm sorry you were so worried before..."

It took me a minute to realize she was talking about when she first got here. I wondered how long she'd been wanting to say that.

"Thanks for coming out with me tonight..." I said, kissing her shoulder. "...and for surprising me." She didn't say anything, but I saw the embarrassed smile right before a yawn she tried to hide.

"Tired?" I asked gently. It was 4 o'clock in the morning.

"...just thinking."

"About?"

"A lot of things." I waited for her to continue, curling my body even tighter around hers. "Mina...you said something before in the hotel..." I said a whole bunch of things, my mind was swimming trying to pick out what might have stuck with her. "That you're dating a Shinto priestess." She clarified and I froze.

I did say that, yes, but I had no clue how to respond to her right now. I hid my face in the crook of her neck, as if I could make myself disappear.

"I guess that makes you my girlfriend." She said softly, more to herself than me. "I've been thinking about it all night...the word... girlfriend, but..." She stopped herself and my breath. I swallowed nervously as she opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling. "It doesn't sound like enough." She whispered, letting her eyes fall closed again. I lay still; searching for words to describe what I understood only because of there was a part of me that didn't need them.

END.


	5. Shifting Landscapes

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters, just the situations in which they find themselves.

A/N: Thank you to all those who have reviewed this fanfiction. The reviews serve as quite the pick me up and provide much needed motivation. Also a thank you to all those who have taken the time to read it.

ONE NIGHT V: SHIFTING LANDSCAPES

REI'S POV

THE FIRE:

Awareness floated in as my body slowly started to remember that it could move. I blinked a few times, breathing deeply. My head felt like a sheet of iron had been stapled to my forehead and so I let my eyelids fall back down. My mouth felt dry and my muscles sore. I pushed my tired body up, trying to guess at what time it might be, a game I enjoyed and was usually quite good at. I realized I didn't have the slightest sense of even what part of the day I was currently fighting against. I hadn't been sleeping well since I came back. 3:50am. I had been asleep for 3 minutes… a depressing thought. Apparently my internal clock was unshakable. I steadied myself, swinging my legs over the side of the bed, preparing for the moment when I would have to try once again to open my eyes. Is this what she felt like every morning? Kami… no wonder she looked so exhausted.

It had been nearly two months since we saw each other. I had stayed for six days, losing nearly three to travel time alone. With her concerts and appearances, we hadn't been able to spend much time together. She was able to somehow scrape together a birthday dinner for me… even though it was a little over a week early. It was sweet and unexpected and thoughtful and …troubling. My reaction, the way I had felt, how much it meant to me was frightening in retrospect. We got caught up, that was what we had said before. I hadn't thought about it until the plane ride home… until I was away from the way it made me feel to be so close to her. I could never think about any of this until I was alone. I was captured by the same feeling every time we spoke on the phone, as if her voice was an "off" switch for these otherwise nagging and relentless questions. My brain ran wild… my girlfriend… Minako… a girl I loved…whatever I called her, it was… I don't know. When I was younger I had swore that I would never give myself to another this way. Now…now how could I justify this? I was becoming some sort of hopeless romantic… flying out just to sleep in her arms. It was reckless and stupid and all the things I hated about the entire notion of love. I was offering someone my heart to devour, to do with as she saw fit, and I couldn't seem to stop myself. I imagined kneeling at her feet, presenting it to her, still beating on a silver tray. The image burned inside me, forcing me to swallow.

With all of our friends involved it had all become more real, more complicated. They knew, when their eyes met mine that knowledge would reflect back at me, like they understood, like we shared some secret… but I didn't share anything, it was dragged out into the open. I covered my face with my hands, trying to shut all of this off. I knew intellectually that I tended toward pessimism … more so when I wasn't sleeping well, but that made the situation much like living with a roommate who did nothing but complain all the time. Sooner or later it wore on you, changing your own landscape a bit, making you wonder if maybe it all was a bit bleaker than you originally thought. At this point I had thought so many things I didn't know what was right or true. Was I this person all along or was I the girl who was so happily in love a phone call ago? I needed to quiet myself. I stood, changing my clothes and taking my hair down. The morning air was cool and felt as if it were pinching my skin as I walked to the shrine. The sky was still dark, stars twinkling in a silent world.

I watched the sacred fire from further away than I usually sat, my arms wrapped around my knees. From this distance, I could still feel the heat from the flames and watched the orange glow as it danced across my forearms. I sat there, letting my element keep me company, letting it listen to my thoughts. As time passed I felt myself start to relax, lost in the movement of the flames, letting my eyes unfocus, my emotions finally manageable, my doubts becoming whispers instead of shouts. I tried to experience each idea as if it were a question rather than a certainty. I knew I felt conflicted, here in this place that meant so much to me, having experienced the same clarity, the same ethereal feeling of being outside myself in a situation so unlike those I saw as spiritually fulfilling. Something fundamental seemed to be changing inside me. I was nervous that it wasn't like rising above, but like sinking below… that I was fooling myself… but it didn't feel honest. Instead, it felt as if I had grasped something beyond what I imagined for myself and was cheapening it by denying it.

She was taking the parts of my life that had never been important, that I believed were beneath me… or at the very least not for me…turning them into satori-like glimpses of a world I didn't know or understand, but which immediately rooted itself deep within me. It was a world that I had sworn off, which made it all the more intense. There was a part of me that found it amusing that what scared me the most was how much I liked having sex with Minako. It was not the slow loss of control I felt falling in love, not the way my heart seemed to shrink when we parted, it was the basest part that was becoming a crisis of faith. How could her touch, anyone's touch, elicit the kind of hyper awareness that I strived toward my whole life? How was it that I could ever want to give myself as fully to her, as I had to this place? That I could want to? It made me question if I was disconnected from my own body. I had always thought otherwise… but I was learning there were experiences it needed, things it could feel that I had been hiding from it, unwilling to allow it to feel. It wasn't as if I never enjoyed sex, there were times, but really wanting it, initiating it, that was something new. The trust I had placed in her… I still couldn't believe I had let her do what she had already.

I didn't know why I felt as confused as I did, where it came from. My own religion had never pushed me away from that side of things. Perhaps it was the years and years of catholic school, perhaps it was my nature, perhaps it was the way my father was with my mother, perhaps it was what happened with Kaidou-san, or the way I controlled my emotions around strangers, projected a calmness I didn't feel. Perhaps it didn't matter what it was… it was enough to turn me constantly, despite the direction with which I lead my life. I hadn't really understood how deeply it ran, until I drank with her that night, until I removed the sheet of nervousness, the strange feeling that I was out of my depth that usually muted my desires.

I had been so anxious about going that night. I could meet her friends, that didn't concern me. I knew how to do that, had done it most of my school career and they made it easy by being likable themselves. It was the drinking, I already could barely hold myself together around her… who knew what would happen once alcohol was thrown into the mix? But none of the myriad invented disasters occurred. We danced, we talked, I watched her as she charmed the wits out of a few men her manager wanted her to meet, and later I initiated…assertively. I had to some degree violated my own principles and yet everything still seemed okay. After all of this passed through my tired mind, I came to the same realization I had several times already… I was over thinking…well everything… and maybe I just needed more sleep. Positioning myself correctly, I began my morning meditation.

THE SHRINE:

I swept the steps trying not to wonder about her. Reluctantly I admitted to myself that these past two months had seemed like a year. Sighing, I tried to collect my thoughts, tried to let them go, tried to hook them on the breeze so that they flew away. She was playing in Japan four days from now; she was leaving for Tokyo in two.

"You should be resting, not doing chores!" I heard my grandfather's voice behind me. I hadn't been feeling well for the past week, which annoyed me because I almost never got sick. When I did, I felt strangely disappointed in myself, as if it came because I had missed something… forgotten myself. I knew it was more than likely due to my lack of sleep. I had spoken to her earlier, and she reacted to my voice as if I were coming down with plague. I was too exhausted to explain, didn't know how to without worrying her more, so I let her believe I was coming down with a cold.

"There's so much to do." I answered, pushing the broom lightly left then right… as long as I focused, I had a prayer of keeping my mind still. I knew exactly where it would go if I stayed in my room, trying to sleep.

"Not so much that it needs to be done now." He placed his hand over mine. "Perhaps I should cancel my trip. I don't want you doing all of this by yourself." He was supposed to be leaving to visit one of his priest friends at a shrine a few town's over two days from now. It meant I would only be able to see Mina at night... I tried not be disappointed by it. This was my responsibility and one I had chosen at that.

"Really, I'm fine Grampa." I gave him my best smile. "You'll only be gone a few days, I'm sure I can manage on my own."

He seemed to remember something. "Your clumsy friend with the cute pigtails called about a half hour ago… she is on her way over…" Of course she was. I had barely answered her texts, barely spoke to her about anything that happened. I had left it on Mina to do, she was better with those sorts of conversations anyway, at least that was how I was justifying it to myself. Usagi was probably convinced I owed her all sorts of explanations by now. There may still be time to get away…

"You told her I was home?" I asked, giving him a disapproving look.

"Because you are home granddaughter." He smiled up at me.

I sighed, blowing my bangs out of my eyes. This was not going to be fun. If she asked me something I didn't want to answer, I wouldn't. It was a tactic I used with most everyone…but there was one person I couldn't rightly use it against. Sooner or later, I would have to tell my grandfather… I hadn't even really thought of that until now. In all honesty, I didn't much care what anyone else in the world thought but him. It made my chest tighten to even consider what he might say.

"You look pale." His bushy eyebrows were sloping down.

"I'm fine." I smiled for his sake. He accepted the answer with obvious reluctance, but changed the subject anyway.

"How is your famous friend?" I tried not to blush too obviously.

"She's fine."

"Good. She should really come visit more." The selfish part of me wanted her here, her lap to sleep on, fingers in my hair, it was a stupid thought. I had fallen asleep on her once already. He paused thoughtfully and then raised his finger. "She still owes me that picture."

"REI-CHAN!" As if she had materialized out of thin air, Usa came bounding up the steps, some sort of bags in her hand, and hugged me tight enough to squeeze the air from my lungs.

"Usa." I pushed gently at her shoulders, trying to get her off me. I looked at my grandpa and back at her face.

"Rei-chan you look terrible!" I glared at her. "Time for bed." She tugged my arm, pulling me toward the shrine.

"Let go" I swatted at her. "I can walk." I straightened my uniform and shot my grandfather a look. I was caught between both their smiles, trying to keep my annoyance in check. She beamed at me and I tried my hardest not to smile back, especially when she scrambled to bow toward my grandfather, having forgotten in her rush to shove me back inside. I would never say so out loud, but I secretly enjoyed the things that never changed, no matter how old we were.

"Once we get you into bed, you can tell me all about your trip!"

"I'll let you two catch up." He toddled off toward the orchard and I stared at my friend. I really was tired… maybe it wasn't worth fighting…I guess I would have to talk about this with her sooner or later. With a deep breath I went inside willingly, asking for a minute to change and climbed obediently into my bed. She came in with a bowl of soup that smelled amazing and some hot tea.

"Mina-chan called me… she told me how sick you were!" Did she? The thought that Minako had gone so far to take care of me was comforting and I tried to hide the silly smile on my face. "She asked me to make sure you were alright." That knowing smile, seemed to crawl beneath my skin.

"Honestly, I feel fine…" I said.

"Well you look terrible."

I crossed my arms over chest and stared at her. "Stop saying that!" Her eyes opened wide at my tone and then narrowed at me as she shook her head.

"Grumpy." She frowned.

"I'm not grumpy." I mumbled, sipping delicately at the soup.

"So…" I sighed deeply. I could see the dangerous gleam in her eyes. Someone save me…

"What?" I asked.

She watched me for a minute, before pouting. "C'mon Rei-chan..." I felt guilty this conversation was so difficult for me….that I was dealing with it by falling into my old habits. I looked away from her, trying to push down my desire to refuse her an answer simply on principle. Moving the food to the side, I tried to gather myself. I looked at my friend, at the slightly stern expression on her face. "You could've told me!" She added, poking my chest.

"Mina told you!" I argued, smacking her hand away lightly, my composure dissipating instantly. She was exceedingly good at destroying it.

"I called the two of you and SHE was the only one who called me back!" Her eyes narrowed to slits and glanced sidelong at me. I felt my forehead tighten at the dig and I opened my mouth. "And don't you dare tell me it's none of my business Hino Rei! I think if one of my best friends falls in love she would at least want to tell me!" An accusing finger was thrust a few inches from my face, but I could tell she was serious. _Falls in love_… apparently Minako had been very honest with her.

"We hadn't told anyone yet!" I protested. "It wasn't just you…"

The answer seemed to do nothing to calm her down. "On top of all that you totally ignored me!" It bothered me a bit to know she was hurt by our…my silence.

I stared at her, relenting a bit. "Fine, I'm sorry that I ignored you."

"Why did you?" Kami, that pout.

"Because I didn't know what to say baka! Didn't Mina answer you?"

"Yes… but you're my friend too. Even if you are mean…"

"I'm not mean!" I waited, expecting her to stick her tongue at me, but she didn't.

She released a puff of air, like a deflating balloon. I knew how she felt. "I really am happy for you two y'know…"

"I…thank you." I said, consciously infusing sincerity into my tone because discomfort made everything I said sound sarcastic, whether intentional or not. I could feel both the blush on my cheeks and the grin on her face that formed in response to it. Both annoyed me and then came the tackle hug.

THE ORCHARD:

The nights were slowly becoming warmer and longer. The grass felt like rubbery whiskers beneath my fingers and toes. I was laying on my back, knees bent, one hand by my side, the other resting on my stomach, phone held loosely. My grandfather had gone to bed already. Clouds floated over the pale moon, my eyelids following them, fluttering down and then up. The sakura blossoms hadn't bloomed yet, but the buds were there, a grayish pink in the fading light. An exhaustion was coating the inside of me, shutting me down unhurriedly, my mind on the edge of sleep. I would have to go inside soon, but I had started to dread my room. I knew the ceiling too well now. The growing darkness seemed to crawl over my face whispering to me, the taste of night air settling on my lips…

"Hello?" My voice was bits of sand and glass, confusion clouding my understanding of what exactly had just happened. I blinked my eyes.

"… I'm always waking you up." Minako was on the phone. I had picked up the phone. Maybe that's what happened, it would make sense.

"Mina?"

"Are you okay?" There was a combination of amusement and concern in her voice.

I blinked again trying to reboot myself. The question sounded dauntingly complex. I forced my eyes open wide, seeing the edges of trees against a blue-black sky. I was outside…

I lifted the phone away from my face… it was so late. "Rei, are you there?" Her question came through as I stared at the tiny screen.

"Yes… sorry." I brought it back to my ear. "Sorry."

"It's okay… do you want me to let you go?"

"No." I said honestly. I was having a hard time believing I fell asleep in the orchard. As a girl, I had never been scared to be out here in the dark… even now it seemed unshakably safe… still I had been here, alone for hours.

"I feel bad I woke you up."

"Don't…" I said, a softness seeping into my tone that had been absent for some time. I arched my back, sucking in air as it popped. I exhaled, letting my body relax, a quiet, happy little noise escaping my lips. "…what are you doing?" She said very quietly. I felt my eyebrow rise.

"Stretching." I answered. "What did you think I was doing?"

She laughed a bit. "It wasn't so much thinking as hoping…"

"Mina!" I felt myself blush. My mind immediately created an image of her eyes roaming over me as I… I tried to redirect it, only to find it rebel by picturing the same thing with roles reversed… what was wrong with me?

"Sorry."

"No you're not." I mumbled.

I could almost feel her smile. "How are you?"

"Better." It was the deepest I'd slept in days. The breeze was licking at my toes and I wiggled them against it, letting it pull my attention.

"Good." It was… good to sleep, good to hear her breathe and then I remembered this morning.

"I can't believe you sent Usagi after me!" I scolded.

"You weren't feeling good!" She defended, a hint of mischief creeping out.

"I was fine."

"Well I may have exaggerated a bit…but my poor lovesick puppy was actually sick… what was I supposed to do?"

_Lovesick puppy? _Oh that. "You are just too…"

"Thoughtful?"

"Awful."

She was pouting, I was sure. "Maybe it was a bit mean…but she was going crazy with you ignoring her."

"I know..."

"Are you two okay now?"

"We talked…Mina?"

"Hmm?"

I waited a minute, trying to let my thoughts settle. "What did you tell her?"

"The truth." The vague answer only made me more anxious. There were so many variations of the truth, how much of it, what was said, what wasn't…

"Meaning?"

"I described every detail of everything we've ever done Rei-chan…" She joked.

"That's not funny."

"Rei…" She suddenly sounded a bit upset and I couldn't guess at why. "Did you really think I'd imagined being with you because you're just that good looking? Not that you aren't…" She was teasing and serious at the same time…I mean, I hadn't, I didn't… I heard her release a deep breath. "…I've been in love with you for years, since before we graduated high school. I had told Usa back then because I trust her… and because I couldn't tell my best friend, because I couldn't tell… you." That look in her eyes the first time we slept together, the one I couldn't place… I felt like an idiot for being as dumbfounded as I was. Her tone of voice was completely unrecognizable to me, quiet but firm and I didn't know how to read her. I had no face, no eyes to help me understand. "So there wasn't much to explain to her about us…"

"Why didn't you ever…"

"It's an impossible thing to say to someone." She answered, barely loud enough for me to hear. Another silent moment passed. "Does it scare you?"

"No. I just… feel…" I could sense her tension while she waited for me to find the right word to describe the swamp of emotions, surging unevenly in my mind. I wasn't sure how I could have been close to her for so long and never realized… it made me feel as though I had only ever hovered around her, missing anything more than surface. "…like I didn't… see you."

"I didn't want you to feel like you had to be different around me." I would have been… there was truth in it.

"So why…"

"I don't know…" She seemed genuinely flustered, but I wondered what had changed that night. "I thought… well I knew, from experience… that I could never forget you even with another person, that it never meant what it should have and then I was listening to you, knowing he didn't love you the way I did… hearing you sound like you didn't expect it to be any better than okay…It was stupid and impulsive, but I kept thinking that maybe just… for one night… I could try and show you what I thought you deserved to feel… and maybe I would be okay, because I would have given anything to make you understand that it didn't have to be the way it had been, it should be different… and I thought I could be satisfied with that, but it just made me fall that much more in love with you… I never expected you to want…"

"Mina…" In that moment it seemed cruel that I couldn't touch her. "I wish I were there." I wish I could crawl into your lap and kiss you would have been more accurate, but I didn't think I was capable of pushing that thought past my lips. There was another hushed moment and I wondered what she could possibly be thinking… if she were listening to me breathe as well.

"You're still laying down." She commented a little hesitantly, throwing me. "Your voice is always deeper when you're laying down." I suppose it shouldn't have surprised me she noticed that. She had always been good at noticing things. "I can almost feel it on my skin if I close my eyes." She added quietly. I felt a heat flowering on my neck at her words. My fingers drifted there, touching it almost as if to soothe. I swallowed, not giving in to the sudden desire to sit up.

"I..." I started, unsure what to say next…

"Rei…" The murmur traveled through me, convincing my heart to beat just a little faster. Two more nights. "I miss you so much…" The hint of pain buried in her admission was like a hand on my throat.

"I miss you too…" I searched for some sweet thing to say, some magic phrase that would help with this. I came up empty.

"I haven't been in your room for awhile…" It was an unexpected comment that was clearly part of a more elaborate thought process she didn't share.

"I'm not in my room." I responded feeling like an idiot.

"But you are laying down…" She said, curious.

"I'm outside and yes, I'm laying down."

She took her time in responding. A few fireflies swirled in and out through the trees and I idly wondered where they had come from and where they were going. "You fell asleep outside?"

"In the orchard." She laughed gently, the noise passing over me, bringing a smile to my lips. I looked down at myself. It was a little suspect I suppose.

"Making friends with nature?"

"Something like that…" I smirked, letting my eyes fall closed, feeling as though I'd finally reached some sort of equilibrium.

THE CHILD:

Rini was asleep on my lap, both of us on her silly pink bed. My back was resting against some portion of what I thought was supposed to be a castle. We hadn't even gotten through half of the story she had convinced me to read. It was just as well as far as I was concerned… the plot was predictable. I sighed, looking down at her. Usa had come to the shrine with Rini to distract me as my grandfather had left this morning. I had agreed to watch Usa's daughter tonight, throwing the idea out casually over lunch. She nearly choked on the ice cream she was stealing from Rini before falling all over herself to accept. Minako was in Tokyo by now, but she had meetings all evening she couldn't escape from. After all the chores were done, which had honestly been much easier with Usa's help, I locked up and we walked to her house. I took a deep breath in, feeling relaxed. Babysitting… not something I thought I'd be doing… ever… but it had certainly been good for my self-esteem. She was always so excited to see me.

I touched her miniature pigtails, watching the hair as it curled back as soon as I let go. It made me smile and made my heart ache at the same time, nurturing some reservoir of hope I kept hidden within myself. Feelings I hadn't allowed to surface in years, of wanting only to be close to my mother, to stay with her… when going to bed on my own, without her kiss, was unthinkable bubbled up. Whether I understood them or not, I had always wanted kids… a chance to do it right I guess. As if going through it again, making sure I never went away would undo the memories that I still pushed into the very back of my mind.

I had thought about it each of the few times I dated. A question bouncing around inside me, if something happened to me… if I… would he stay? Or would he hit the "reset" like my own father did. I still saw him every now and then. We had our obligatory "birthday" dinner, like two strangers who saw each other often enough that ignoring each other was no longer possible. The conversation was forced, the smiles were forced, and though I couldn't be sure, I was fairly certain both of us left wishing it hadn't happened. It was an indescribable feeling… wanting to love and be loved by someone you barely knew… someone who you hated at the same time. There was always a whisper at the very edge of my consciousness that I could be like him, that I would leave… that I wouldn't want that life once I had it. My phone pulsed against my leg, breaking me away from the unpleasant idea as I looked at the screen.

_Mina: My second meeting got cancelled, I'm free! Where r u?_

I hated texting, but it seemed the best way to go about this and not wake up Rini. Cell phones themselves annoyed me, the notion that someone could reach me at all times, expected to be able to, made me uncomfortable. She seemed to be an exception to that, an exception to most things in my life. A smile flitted across my lips and sensation surged inside my chest…I would see her tonight…

_Babysitting._

_Mina: Be serious._

_I am._

_Mina: Rini?_

_Maybe._

_Mina: So cute 3. _I rolled my eyes. _R u at Usa's?_

_I am. Do you want me to come over after?_

_Mina: Is that even a question? _I shook my head, I supposed it shouldn't have been, it wasn't for me.

_I walked here, so it might be awhile._

_Mina: I'll pick you up._

_Are you sure?_

_Mina: very, be there in 10._

_Wait, what?_

_Mina: I should say hi to Usa and Mamo too._

_Are you driving?_

_Mina: Um…_

_Stop texting me!_

I barely had time to slip out of the tiny bed, place a kiss on her forehead, take out the knots Rini had called braids, and make myself presentable. Now that I was sure she was on her way, my heart forced itself against my ribs, creating nervous little prickles that chased across my skin. I heard a car and my stomach dropped. It was like a teenager sneaking in her boyfriend… only the parents in this case would be happy to see her and Minako was most definitely not a boy. I blinked, smoothing my shirt, and padding over to the door to open it.

Delicate glasses and an auburn wig this time.

I pulled her inside, placing my finger on her lips. Our eyes met instantly and I saw her cheeks flush. "Rini's asleep." I explained, my voice low.

"Hi." She said quietly, smiling mischievously against my finger.

I felt my own face warm and I dropped my hand from her too soft lips. "Hi."

My breath caught as I took in her outfit. She was wearing a black pair of tailored pants with a light button down shirt that hung on her perfectly, drawing attention to her hips as it slid beneath the waistband of her slacks. It was a pure white, slightly transparent. A necklace made of several silver chains draped over her chest, a thin metallic cylinder hanging from its center… as if were pointing to the first secured button, which was very close to suggestively low. Was that a jacket and briefcase she just put down? She looked very… professional … for a pop star anyway. Shaking her hair out, she shot me that smile, all teeth and trouble. An ominous feeling filled me.

"What's in there?" I whispered suspiciously, looking down at the sleek leather case, raising my eyebrow.

"It goes with the outfit…what's a boss without a briefcase?" She spread her index and middle finger apart, throwing out the infamous "v". It had been awhile since I'd seen that gesture. A boss? The eyebrow I had lifted twitched.

"…you are so strange." I said, smirking as I walked over toward the couch.

Her eyes twinkled as she followed and I found myself feeling very much as though we were doing something wrong… as if at any moment some nun would come flying around the corner to scold us. That didn't make me want to kiss her any less. I tucked a bit of hair behind my ear, facing her, almost nervous to look at her with us standing this close… in our friend's house, with a little girl asleep in the next room. Her gaze suddenly dropped to my feet.

"Rei?" A sleepy voice sounded behind us. I felt a blush on my cheeks as Rini's hand tugged on the leg of my jeans. I looked down to see her wrapped in her blanket, crimson eyes peering at the intruder from around my knee. "Who's she?"

I watched a flicker of hurt thread through surprised blue and was torn. I wasn't sure who to comfort or how. She had only ever met Minako once or twice so the shyness was understandable. It wasn't likely that she remembered. I crouched down, lifting the bundle up and she quickly buried her face in my chest as I sat us on the couch. The pink fleece was draped around her head like a hood and she used it to hide most of her face as she stole glances at the other girl.

"I thought you were asleep…" I said quietly, but gently.

"Is mama home?" She asked hopefully.

"Not yet." I felt her squeeze me tighter. "Rini…" I waited for her to look at me. "This is Mina." I searched for the right words. "She's my friend."

I could feel Minako watching me with interest as I spoke to the girl and I wondered what she was thinking… if the fact that I had described her that way bothered her, but I couldn't, in all fairness, be expected to explain such a concept to a three year old. So I told myself. A soft expression and sweet smile passed across her face, as a deliberately slow wave rolled through her fingers. "Hi Rini."

"Hi" Her tiny voice was muffled by the fabric.

"It's nice to meet you." I gave her a questioning look. Maybe she didn't want to confuse the girl by telling her that they'd met before. Carefully she took a seat beside me, sitting sideways, resting one bent arm on the back of the couch, hand against her cheek as she looked our way, fingers dangling freely. The little girl's eyes seem to fix on the bracelets circling Mina's right wrist. They shifted with tiny metallic clinks, catching the light as she dropped her other arm to her crossed legs. It didn't take long for her to notice those excited eyes… and then there was that smile, the one that was at least assuring me everything was right with the world. "Do you like these?" The nodding head made it look like I had a wiggling pink caterpillar in my lap. The motion cause the hood to fall away, revealing those signature pigtails, now spiked with static. Slipping the thin metal bands off, she placed them into tiny hands. "Here."

A giggle and the new toys were taken and I heard them start to dance against each other. Scarlet and blue seemed to fix on each other and I sat back, amazed by the blush that seemed to tint the little girl's face as she flipped the bracelets over each other. Mina continued to give her a smile that was equal parts peaceful and playful as she gently took the jewelry, slipping them over a tiny wrist. Rini couldn't seem to stop herself from giving a small, timid smile in return lifting her arm a bit to hear them clatter. "You have pretty hair." She said shyly. "I did Rei's hair, but she took it out." My eyes widened as I recognized I had been ratted out…Mina shot me a disapproving look.

"That wasn't very nice." I turned my eyes toward her in warning.

"Mama says Rei's a big meanie."

"I don't know if I'd say big…" I was being ganged up on by two blondes, one of which wasn't even here, and a toddler. Mina shrugged. "I like her anyway."

"Me too." Rini agreed, throwing her small arms around my torso. I laughed quietly, the sound more like a few short puffs of air through my nose, one side of my mouth turning upwards.

"Thank you, I guess…" I said quietly.

It wasn't long before exhaustion took over again and she curled up against me, eyelids heavy. I straightened out her mussed hair, as she yawned sleepily. Glancing over, I found Mina's eyes on me, a curious expression on her face. Though I hadn't thought of it before… I knew the girl…woman… beside me would have never made the choice my father did. The fact that this had even entered my mind shocked me and I felt warm with embarrassment.

THE CAR:

"Where are we going?" I asked. I had just assumed that we would head back to the condo, but we weren't. It was late. Usagi had nearly screamed when she saw Mina in the house and I had let them catch up, not wanting to rush the mini reunion. It was actually quite funny to watch the two of them trying to contain their enthusiasm enough to keep Rini asleep. I was happy to let them do most of the talking anyway. Neither Mamoru nor I were able to make eye contact with anyone else when the subject of Mina and I came up, especially after we made the mistake of looking at each other early on in the conversation. His embarrassment was kerosene on my own, and I tried not to think too much on it. I was fighting the urge to glare at him. Given that I was in the same boat and he was trying to be polite, it was only fair.

"I thought we could stay at the shrine tonight…"

"Why?" I asked. It was much closer… but the idea made me nervous, made those feelings that I had at Usa's return full force, that fear of being caught.

"I told you… I haven't seen your room in awhile." She looked at me, smirking a bit. The glasses only made her look more devious. The two of us, in my bedroom… in my bed… my breathing was suddenly different I noticed to my own shame. Her eyebrow was arching above the lens of those damn glasses… "Does that make you nervous?"

I shifted my lower jaw, trying to look as though I didn't care. "No."

"Would it make you feel better if I told you I wouldn't let you touch me?" I felt the instant spark of aggravation and whipped my head to look at her.

"Me? You're the one who starts it!"

"Not the last time." I could see the enjoyment radiating off her.

"Well you got me drunk." I accused, it wasn't entirely accurate… but I said it now, I was committed.

"If I remember right, I was on the other side of the room working, while you were letting a man get you drunk…" She pointed out, turning the wheel left, that smile far too satisfied for my liking.

"A gay man. Doesn't count."

"Wow…" She gave me a look of reproach, as I realized how that sounded.

"That's not what I meant and you know it!" I threatened, allowing a little lilt in my own voice. She was laughing at me. That smug quirk of her lips was not sitting right with me and I felt the need to somehow shatter that abundance of confidence. I would need to do something unexpected… I quietly unbuckled my seatbelt and moved toward her, looking at her face. I saw her eyeing me sidelong, cautiously.

"Rei…what are you…" She started and stopped as I slid my hand firmly over her leg, noticing the near instant change in her demeanor.

"You like to tease me…the thing about teasing is… it's fun in the beginning…" I said, keeping my voice matter of fact, but speaking quietly, surely. I moved my fingers up higher letting them run along the inside of her thigh surprising myself as I continued the game I had started. "But then after a while…" I pressed into her muscle lightly, moving higher, slower… bringing my mouth close to her ear, close enough that she would feel my breath. The heat of her was flowing into my hand, and I forced myself to ignore the response it caused in me. She was trying desperately to keep her eyes on the road, body tense… her reaction fascinating me… the way her lip slipped beneath her teeth and her eyelids dropped unconsciously before she snapped them open. "It just starts to…" She shuddered, breath hitching, as I let my chest brush her arm…my touch still traveling higher... "…get to you." I withdrew quickly, returning to my seat, pretending as though nothing had happened as I clicked my seatbelt back on. "Keep teasing and you'll have no problem keeping me off you Aino Minako."

Her eyes were noticeably darker, cheeks flush when she stole a glance at me. The color of them, a color I knew by now, caused a sharp ache in my abdomen. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but then closed it. I didn't think I had ever seen her quite so flustered before. In all honesty, I enjoyed it immensely. It was her fault anyway for waking up this part of me. I was able to keep the smile off my face, after all she wasn't the only one affected, but she didn't have to know that. I sat in happily silence until we reached the shrine, until she shut off the car. We were really going to spend the night here. I didn't have much of a chance to worry, because as soon as we were close to the building the noise of something falling distracted me. I glanced down to see a pair of glasses and a wig on the stones a second before I was against the wall, her lips on mine. Maybe I hadn't thought this through enough. I felt her bite my lip, and I held the moan in, only a small sound escaping. My whole body felt like it was blushing as I caught sight of the Torii at the entrance, a dark gray in the dim light. She was kissing me, melting me against the side of the shrine. It should have felt wrong, but it didn't… I was turning into such a deviant…even so… I would rather we weren't outside.

"Wait…" She looked up, those eyes sucking me in again… impossibly darker. How blue eyes could get so deep… She closed them and I felt disappointment roll over me, but I could think again. Taking in a shuddering breath, I tried to remember what it was I had wanted to say. "Inside…"

She nodded. I watched, amused, as she slipped her heels off and nearly tipped toe into the house.

"Grampa's not home. You don't have to sneak around." She turned to look at me, bangs falling in front of her face. "He left for a few days…"

She stood up straight, hand coming up to tuck the fallen strands behind her ear. There was a look in her eyes I didn't know how to interpret. "So what are you nervous about then?" She said softly.

"I…" Where was all that confidence I had in the car? "Don't know… it's my bedroom…" She knew that… I would need to explain this better. "How would you feel if we were in your parents house?" I asked, trying to make this relatable. She had her condo only as an adult… it wasn't the room she had grown up in.

She looked at me, touched my face. "Rei, I'm happy just to sleep next to you." I wanted to fall into her arms, I wanted to let her… this was my home, it would be for a long time. She ran her thumb over my cheek, smiling almost sheepishly, looking younger than she was. "It is a bit weird… I do feel like we are gonna get in trouble or something."

"I know." I agreed, the anxiousness seeping out of me once I realized she understood. That feeling though… the slight tingle of fear knotting around my spine… had also been strangely …exciting.

THE BED:

I was sitting on the desk in the corner of my room, while she looked around.

"It's pretty much the same…" I commented, feeling somewhat self-conscious.

"I always liked your room." She said. I couldn't stop looking at the way her shirt fell on her, the way it called attention to her athletic, yet feminine frame. I imagined undoing each button, watching it slip off her. I was becoming a terrible person… and after she had been so sweet… "It's so clean…"

"You're condo is neat." I responded.

She smiled at me. "I think we both know that's because I'm never there." I nodded in agreement, crossing my legs at the ankle. "It wasn't this color before…"

I glanced at the sand colored walls and thought for a minute… when had I painted them? Two, three years ago? "It might have been white. When was the last time you were here?"

She was quiet for a second, wrapping one arm around her side, unintentionally pressing the fabric tighter against her chest. My throat felt a little dry. "I think the night we all went out, after I got my record deal… four years… " We all crammed into my room that night, tipsy and silly. Our conversation from the orchard filtered through my mind… it was hard to believe she was in love with me even then. I turned my eyes downward, looking at the swirling grain in the wood floor. I still didn't understand how I could have missed something like that…

She was turning a candle over in her grip, one of the many I had. "You always did like these."

I shrugged. "They relax me…" I kept my eyes on the flame as a match came to life between her fingers, gifting its fire to the wick. She placed the lit candle back on the small table beside the set of speakers that connected to my stereo.

"You bought my albums?" She asked. I lifted my head to see her looking at the back of a CD she picked up.

"We all did." I defended.

"This barely even looks like me…" She said quietly, shaking her head.

"They all look like that." I said waving my hand. "All those magazines and the photos, it never looks quite like you." The CD was placed back down on the table and walked over to me, biting at her lip.

"Unfortunately you get me without all the fancy make-up and camera tricks to make my skin look…" I turned and put my finger on her lips for the second time tonight.

"I like you better like this…" I said. Her eyes flickered with some emotion I didn't catch. "…And you know you're beautiful Mina." She moved so she was standing between my legs and I instantly blushed as my knees separated automatically, dropping my hand. Why was it so easy for her to make me do that? I waited for her kiss, but she just looked at me… her eyes burning into mine. I had no idea what was running through her mind, but it was clear she was thinking about something…intently.

I turned my head slightly, as if the change in angle would help me figure her out. She seemed like she was holding herself back on purpose, from doing or saying what I didn't know. As I tried to unravel her, the glint of her silver necklace kept drawing my eyes down to her chest. Growing restless I lifted my hands from the edge of the desk and trailed them along the exposed portion of her collarbone, moving them to the clasp on the back of her necklace. I placed it on the table with one hand, leaving the other where it was.

She sank into my touch, so I allowed my fingertips to trace along the neckline of her shirt. I leaned my body forward, placing a single light kiss against her skin as I pulled the fabric away just a little. Her body stiffened as she inhaled sharply, her hand gliding through my hair. I began leisurely working at the buttons on the front of her shirt, intrigued by the level of arousal I felt just seeing her standing there with it open, hanging on her shoulders. How a belly button and a strip of flesh, just the very sides of her breasts still in her bra could be so appealing was beyond me… seeing her like that was racing heat across the entirety of my body.

"This outfit is…" I couldn't finish the thought, but my body added its own touch as I looked at her one more time and a soft rumbling exhale escaped me. I could see her body starting to take over, the same way mine did when we were together like this, but her eyes were still far away. "Tell me what you're thinking…" I whispered, meeting her gaze. I usually didn't ask, believing that if people wanted to share they would and that they deserved the right to choose, but I could sense the raw emotions coming off her.

"Rei…" She whispered back, mouth meeting mine before her lips slipped down…over my neck and I was lost for moment, swimming in the sensation of her hips pressing against my spread legs, her kiss. She moved up, spoke against the shell of my ear, palms sliding under my shirt… "I used to watch you while I was supposed to be studying… thinking what it would be like to kiss you…" Her hands tickled their way across my ribs…"touch you... scared you might notice…" It took a minute for me to understand she meant here in this room, maybe in this bed. My face was on fire. How words like that just fell out of her mouth… "That's what I was thinking." I felt her lips curl against my ear, then teeth on my earlobe as her hands ran over the jeans that still covered my thighs.

"I didn't…" I whispered, but couldn't finish the thought. I was overwhelmed, I wanted her to understand that I knew now and I was willing to do nearly anything she wanted… again something I didn't think I would be able to articulate at least in the way I meant it. Instead I pushed myself off the desk, standing up, eyeing her as I took off the rest of my clothes. The way her eyes dragged along my body, made me feel as though she were actually touching me. I climbed into my bed, a nervousness building in me. She took off her own clothes, a blush on her cheeks and crawled in beside me. I reached over her to switch off the light, my eyelids fluttering as our bodies dragged along each other, as she reached up to pull me down on top of her. "I love you." I couldn't tell whether I said it loud enough to hear, the words lost in her hair.

My breathing was fast and uneven as those hands floated over my hips, my back, my breasts and her mouth was deliciously soft against mine. Every inch of our bodies, just the simple desire for air forced our nipples, the sensitive skin surrounding them into contact. We reached for each other at almost the same moment, hands working their way between our bodies. My forehead dropped to her chest as her fingers slid into me, her gasping as she felt the same thing. In the darkness, we moved together, finding some common rhythm, drinking down each other's noises, keeping them even though we didn't have to, because that tiny fear was still there, still making this seem forbidden somehow. Our eyes locked, and we didn't speak, because the slant of an eyebrow, the size of a pupil, the color of an iris said more, was clear enough. As we forgot more and more of ourselves, the air around us seemed to thicken, slowing everything down, prolonging each stroke, each shock of pleasure, each heated breath that passed between us. It seemed to wrap around us, separating us from everything, restricting thoughts only to simple facts, or intentions until senses muddled… until I could taste her moans, before everything faded to nothing for the longest blink of an eye. I fell against her, trying to remember how my own lungs worked.

We were quiet, kissing now and then, neither one of us wanting to move.

"Let me wake up next to you …" She whispered and I realized she hadn't yet. I had gotten up every time, to meditate or go home… I had always let her sleep… because I knew how tired she was, because it felt wrong to interrupt her.

"I have to be up to open the shrine."

"Then promise me you'll wake me up when you get up…"

"It'll be early…" I said, unsure.

"I don't care, just promise."

I nodded, resting my head on her shoulder, falling, surrendering to the warmth that surrounded us. "I promise."

END.


End file.
